Purchasing Replacement Certificates

Replacement certificates can be provided for marriages, civil partnerships, births or deaths that were registered within the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames.

Registers containing events which occurred in the borough are held at the Register Office. The records date from the onset of formal registration in 1837 up to the present day (excluding the period 1934-1965 for marriage entries). We are able to supply replacement certificates from entries in our registers, on payment of a fee.

If the event occurred outside the London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames

The Richmond upon Thames Register Office cannot provide replacement certificates for events that did not take place or were not registered within this borough. The register office for the borough in which the event occurred will need to be contacted to make a request.

Please be aware that some internet sites offer to provide copy certificates: we recommend that certificates are ordered direct from a local Register Office or from the General Register Office.

The application process

You can apply online or at Richmond upon Thames Register Office. The application must be completed with relevant details of the event in order for us to search the register and find the entry. We will advise, within 2 working days, if we are able to provide the requested certificates, and also advise the fee which will need to be paid before the certificate can be issued.

The types of service

Standard Service

Certificates are issued within five working days and can be collected or posted (second class).

Next Day Priority service

Certificates are issued next working day and can be collected or posted (first class).

Same Day Priority service - for Personal Callers to the Register Office only

Certificates are issued within 90 minutes of application. Application needs to be made by 2:30pm.

Replacement certificate costs

The fees for the certificate depend on the type of service you require and whether the register is still open (being used by the registrar) or closed (archived as all the entries have been completed). Generally, a register will close 6 months after the first entry was made.

Commemorative certificates

At Richmond Register Office we offer an exclusive commemorative certificate, which features the Richmond coat of arms. This certificate is only available for events which take place in the borough.

Commemorative certificates include:

• The parties' names
• Date of marriage or civil partnership
• Place of marriage or civil partnership

Many couples purchase this certificate as a gift for their witnesses to thank them for their support. These certificates are not legal certificates and cannot be used as proof of marriage.