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Last updated: 18/03/2024


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Apostille Legalisation


Legalisation (Apostille) is the official confirmation that a signature, seal or stamp on a UK public document is genuine.

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Certificate
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Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates and Death Certificates are full length copies and can be used for official purposes.

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Replacement Birth Certificates

Birth Certificate UK

Replacement Birth Certificates Online

Replacement Certificates Online

Do you need help replacing a Birth Certificate? We are here to help!


order a replacement birth certificate online


New feature available - Track Your Certificate Order Online

Safely purchase a Birth Certificate Replacement online, suitable for both legal and family history uses. These certificates include full name of child, mother's name, father's name (when registered) DoB, where born and registration district.

All replacement birth certificates supplied are full long form or A4 versions, Unabridged copies.
  • Birth Certificate Replacement
If you have lost your birth certificate, or need one for family history purposes, this replacement copy will help you.

Replacement Birth Certificates

Duplicate Birth Certificates are often essential to prove an identity when applying for:

    Passports
    Bank accounts
    Pensions
    Social Security
    Employer ID
    Driving licence
    Visas
    Divorce
    Adoption
    Immigration

Need a Birth Certificate quickly...

There are times when a copy of a birth certificate is needed and time is of the essence. We offer 3 options to help our overseas clients in need of a fast service:

  • Priority 2-day despatch will get your certificate issued faster
  • Worldwide courier delivery eliminate the concern regarding international postage
  • Email copies can be sent to you before the certifciate is despatched out

Copy of your birth certificate

All replacement birth certificates we supply are fully certified copies which are suitable for all official purposes. Some reasons for obtaining a copy certificate include an application for marriage, applying for an academic course, applying for a passport or a driver's licence. One of the most common reasons is that the original certificate was lost or mislaid.

Replacement birth certificates do not require a signed release or similar for the order to be processed. Nor does further documentation (e.g. driver's licence or passport) have to produced.
Generally, there will be no special needs for the order to be completed, beyond the initial supplying of information and payment.

What type of replacement birth certificate will be provided?

There are two types of birth certificates, the full birth certificate, is a copy of the entry in the birth register, giving all the recorded details.  The short birth certificate, only gives the child's full name, sex, date and place of birth. It does not give the name and particulars of the mother or father. A short certificate is issued free of charge when a birth is first registered.

There is no choice between non certified and certified - all certificates issued are certified. All certificates issued contain an official seal, some certificates have a raised seal or a stamped seal.

What a replacement birth certificate can tell you

A copy birth certificate can impart quite a bit of information about an individual. It gives the names of both parents (at least where the father is named, which is not going to be the case every time). You'll always get at least the first forename of each parent in full - all forenames before 1865 - and their occupations. Additionally, you find where the child was born, right down to the street address, and even the mother's maiden name. It makes for an excellent starting point.

I live outside the UK. Will my replacement British birth certificate be accepted for use outside the UK?

If you are using the birth certificate to get a British Passport, regardless of where you reside, you can use the birth certificate without any legalisation process.

For overseas clients, that need to validate the authenticity of the certificate as having been produced in the UK, we also offer an apostille/legalisation service, whereby an apostille is attached to the reverse of the certificate. We always recommend checking with whoever you are presenting the certificate to, to identify if the apostille stamp is needed.

The Apostille Certificate (Apostille) is normally requested by foreign authorities and organisations so that the certificate can be used for official purposes outside of the UK. This means that the documents have to be legalised correctly before you travel and often within a specific time period.

Legalisation is usually required by foreign authorities before they will allow a UK certificate to be used for official purposes in their country. Apostille Certificates issued in the UK will be accepted but for the following countries they would require further legalisation. Obtain further Legalisation for the Middle East, UAE Legalisation Service,  Qatar Legalisation Service or Kuwait Legalisation Service or Egypt Legalisation Service.

Replacement of a lost birth certificate

The minimum information we will require for a birth record search is:

  • Did the event take place in the UK?
  • Was the person adopted
  • Full name at birth
  • Year of Birth
  • Full name of Mother

Searches of birth records

Searches of the records in UKOS's Office for details of births usually for copy certificates. Copy certificates can only be obtained via the online order form, the certificate would contain the birth details first registered. The minimum information needed to find an entry is the name of the person, place of birth and year the birth took place.

Further Information


Registers of births, marriages and deaths

Copies of marriage certificates

Copies of birth certificates

Copies of death certificates

Apply via the Post

To apply via the post write to the following address:

UK Official Records
(Replacement Birth Certificate)
4200 Waterside Centre
B 3 7 7 Y N