Nov 11, 2011

The Identity & Passport Service has warned "don't pay too much for replacement certificates"

The Identity & Passport Service has warned: don't pay too much for your replacement birth certificates.  This appears on the internet at http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=421095&SubjectId=16&AdvancedSearch=true.  This applies equally to other certificates. When using commercial websites to find an index entry for a birth, marriage or death registration it can be tempting to click on a conveniently placed link to order a certificate.  However, it can be much more costly to take this route rather than going to the official website at http://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/certificates/. In due course it is hoped that the General Register Office will complete its digitisation and indexing project so that finding entries in the indexes and ordering certificates can all be done from an official website.  I understand that around 50% of civil registration records have already been digitised and that plans for completing this will be drawn up within the next six months.