Please be aware that the Copy Certificates Office will be closed from Friday 29 March until 9.00 am on Tuesday 2 April.
Our records
Devon Registration Service holds registers for births, deaths, and marriages in Devon dating back to July 1837.
Please note that we do not hold registers for Plymouth or Torbay. Apply directly to Plymouth City Council or Torbay Council.
Baptismal, marriage and burial registers before 1837 may be held by the local clergy or Devon Heritage Services.
You can also use this service to apply for a certificate for your church wedding.
Before you start
Before a search of the records is made you will need to provide the:
- full name of the person(s) included in the registration
- date of the event including day, month and year
- location of the event, for example, town or village
Please be aware our standard delivery service may take up to seven days.
Costs
All certificates cost £11.00.
A priority service whereby certificates are posted out on the same day costs £35.00 (including the cost of the certificate). Please note that despite certificates being sent by first-class post on the same day, due to circumstances out of our control there are often delays in the certificates being received. You should allow up to 21 days for delivery.
Other ways to apply
We are unable to deal with applications made in person so please apply in advance by writing to:
Copy Certificates
Great Moor House
Bittern Road
Sowton
Exeter, EX2 7NL
Or you can call us on 0345 155 1002.
Charges
When ordering by post you should include a cheque made payable to Devon County Council. Please include a stamped addressed envelope for the returned certificate.
The General Register Office is responsible for keeping records of all events in England and Wales from 1837 until the present day, you can contact them by:
- Writing to: GRO, PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD.
- Telephoning: 0300 123 1837
- Visiting: www.gov.uk/general-register-office
Please note that reference numbers issued by the General Register Office are different from the local authority numbers and do not match up with local entries.