Civil registration

The General Register Office (GRO) is responsible for the administration of marriage and civil partnership law and the provision of a system for the civil registration of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, adoptions and gender recognition in Northern Ireland. The office is a branch within the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, which is part of the Department of Finance and Personnel.

In addition to the registration of the events mentioned above, the re-registration of a birth may be permitted in certain circumstances.  The facility to record a change of name or surname is also provided.  The General Register Office also maintains the Adoption Contact Register where an adopted person or relative of an adopted person may register their interest in contacting each other.

Certified copies of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and adoptions registered in Northern Ireland may be ordered online, by telephone, fax, post or in person from:-

General Register Office
Oxford House
49/55 Chichester Street
Belfast
BT1 4HL

Telephone: 028 90 252000

Fax: 028 90 252120