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Family tree: guide to death certificates

How to use the General Register Office to find death certificates when researching your family tree and family history.

• From: HM Passport Office
• Published: 22 January 2016
• Last updated: 15 November 2023 — See all updates

Documents

Guide to death certificates (accessible)

HTML

Guide to death certificates

PDF, 461 KB, 3 pages

Details

This guide explains:

• how to find your ancestors’ death certificates
• how much it costs to order a death certificate
• what information you’ll find on a death certificate
• how to order death certificates online, by phone or by post
• information about PDF records
• information about the Online View digital image service

The guide also includes tips on what to do if you can’t find your ancestors in the General Register Office’s public index of every death recorded in England and Wales since 1837.

Published 22 January 2016
Last updated 15 November 2023 + show all updates

1. 15 November 2023

   Updated to reflect the extension of years available for death records via online view.

2. 6 July 2023

   Guidance updated to include the online view service.

3. 16 February 2019

   New death certificate leaflet added.

4. 22 January 2016

   First published.