Copy certificates

How to request copies of certificates: births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths.

If you wish to obtain a copy certificate for a birth, marriage, civil partnership or death that was registered in Solihull you should apply by telephone, by post, or in person, paying the appropriate fee.

How to apply

• By telephone:

  Call 0121 704 8002 and pay using a credit/debit card.
  

• By post:

  Download and fill in an application form, then post it to:
  
  Solihull Register Office,
  Homer Road,
  Solihull,
  West Midlands
  B91 3QZ
  
  Remember to enclose a cheque or postal order made payable to 'Solihull MBC'.
  If applying by post you will need to include a stamped addressed return envelope.
  

• In person:

  At one of our Connect Walk In Centres

What Information do I need to provide?

You will need to provide the following information:

• The type of certificate you are seeking: birth, marriage, civil partnership or death
• The name or names the certificate applies to
• The date of the event  (If the actual year is unknown we can search up to 2 years eithr side of the year provided)
• The place of the event  (Solihull has more than 50 places where people can have a civil marriage/partnership, therefore it is not always possible to search all registers where the place is not specified)
• Any other relevant information that may help us to locate the certificate

Copy Certificates will be ready for collection after 7 working days from the Solihull Connect Walk in Centre in Library Square, Solihull, unless there is difficulty in tracing the certificate in which case we will contact you.

You can also choose to pay for your certificate to be posted to you , (please see charges).

Solihull Register Office is not responsible for items that go missing in the post, we ensure that all certificates are sent via Royal Mail or UKand addresses conform to their required standards. In the event the item posted does not arrive, you will be required to purchase a replacement.

If applying by telephone or in person you can pay by debit or credit card. If applying by post, cheques or postal orders should be made payable to Solihull MBC and sent to Solihull register Office, Homer Road, Solihull, B91 3QZ

A short birth certificate shows the person's name, sex, date of birth and registration district of birth. The standard birth certificate (required for passport appliations etc) also shows place of birth, parents' names and occupations of parents.

For applications made from abroad, payment may be made in pounds sterling by credit card or by cheque in pounds sterling drawn on a bank with UK address printed on the cheque together with international reply paid coupons. Please do not send international money orders.

Priority service

Certified Copy Certificates

Need a copy certificate in a hurry? We offer a priority service for individuals, who may require a copy certificate quicker than 7 days.

How much will it cost?

The cost of this service is £16.00 plus the cost of the certificate.

* If more than one copy of the same type of certificate regarding the same person you will only be charged one administration fee of £16.00

How long will it take?

This is a Priority Service and provided the information we have is accurate your copy certificate can be either posted or be available for collection as follows:

• Post - if ordered before 1.30 pm, we will post the certificate on the same day* (ordered after 1.30pm posted next day) there is an option to pay an additional amount of £1.10 for recorded delivery post
• Collection - if ordered before 1.30 pm, The certificate will be available for collection  from Solihull Connect Office located in Library Square, Solihull after 4pm on the same day*. (ordered after 1.30pm collected next week day after 4pm)

*We cannot guarantee the priority service or a refund of the administration costs if the information we receive is inaccurate or insufficient for us to issue the certificate.

How do I order a copy certificate using the priority service?

Please contact our Customer Services on telephone number 0121 704 8002.

Payment can be made by 

• Debit Card
• Credit card (plus a £1.50 charge)

Please have all the information of the person you are requesting the certificate for.

What if I do not have all the correct information?

If you only have the General register office (GRO) reference number, you must apply to the General Register Office at PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD (0300 123 1837) or on line at http://www.direct.gov.uk/

Alternatively, you can contact the Solihull Heritage & Local Studies Service, Central Library, Homer Road, Solihull B91 3RG.  Telephone: 0121 704 6934, Email: heritage@solihull.gov.uk

*If more than one copy of the same type of certificate for the same person you will only be charged one administration fee

Postage and Handling Charges

What if the birth, death or marriages was not registered in Solihull

You will need to apply to the Registration District where the event took place. If you are unsure where to apply we will be pleased to advise.

Bordering authorities webpages where copy certificates can be ordered:

• Warwickshire council
• Dudley Council
• Stratford Council
• Birmingham Council
• Coventry Council

Searching the Marriage Index

You can search through the marriage Index by visiting Marriages historical search

If you find the appropriate record you can print out an application form and purchase a copy marriage certificate, by post, from the Registrars Office. If you want to do this online, you can pay with a credit/debit card.

Although the indexes are not yet complete for all years, the database will eventually cover all marriages for the years 1837-1950.

Contact Details

For more information on obtaining certificates, please phone Solihull Connect on 0121 704 8002 or email: connectcc@solihull.gov.uk

 The Registration Service has been awarded with Customer Service Excellence