General Register Office (GRO)
Keeps the birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and death records for England and Wales and issues certificates from them.
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Research your family history
Search the official indexes of births, marriages and deaths and order historic certificates to build your family tree. Each UK nation keeps its own records.
Official links
| Official source | Applies to |
|---|---|
| GOV.UK: research your family history using the GRO www.gov.uk/research-family-history | England, Wales |
| The National Archives: start your research www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/start-here/ | Whole UK |
| ScotlandsPeople (National Records of Scotland) www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/ | Scotland |
| nidirect: GRONI online records and certificates geni.nidirect.gov.uk/ | Northern Ireland |
Who handles it
General Register Office for Northern Ireland (GRONI)
Registers births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships and adoptions in Northern Ireland and issues certificates.
National Records of Scotland (NRS)
Keeps Scotland's birth, death, marriage and civil partnership records, runs the census and sells certificates through ScotlandsPeople.
Step by step
- Work out where the event happened: England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
- For England and Wales, search the GRO online index of historic births and deaths to find the index reference number.
- Order the certificate from the GRO using that reference. Its records start in July 1837; for earlier events look at parish records.
- For Scotland use ScotlandsPeople, and for Northern Ireland the GRONI online service.
- Use the National Archives and local archives for other records.
What you need
- Names, approximate dates and places for the people you are researching.
- The GRO index reference number for each certificate you order in England and Wales.
- A debit or credit card to order certificates.
Common mistakes
- Paying a commercial site to search indexes that you can view on official or free services.
- Looking for divorce records at the GRO: those are held by the court that granted the divorce.