KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

GETTING A COPY OF MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE

Question: I am planning to get married and need my birth certificate to give notice. I can’t find it.HowandwheredoIgetanew one?

Answer: If you plan to get married in Ireland, you must give 3 months’ notice. To do this, you need to book a marriage notification appointment at a civil registration service. You need to bring certain documents with you to this appointment, including a full standard birth certificate and a copy of this certificate.

You can apply for a birth, marriage or death certificate, or copies of these certificates, online, by email, by post or in person at a civil registration office or the General Register Office. There is a €20 fee for issuing birth, marriage and death certificates. There is a €4 fee for each photocopy requested (however, you can make copies of certificates yourself).

You can apply for a birth, marriage or death certificate online at lifeevents.hse.ie. You can also apply in person to any civil registration service. Contact details for civil registration services are on hse.ie.

If you wish to apply by post, you should complete an Application for certificate of Birth/Death/ Marriage/Adoption/Civil Partnership (available online and at civil registration service offices) and send it to the Office of the Registrar General, Government Offices, Convent Road, Roscommon.

To apply for a certificate by email, you will need to download an Email Application for certificate of Birth/Death/Marriage/ Adoption/Civil Partnership, complete the required details and email the form to GROonlinepayments@groireland.ie. When the General Register Office receives your email application, it will email you a secure payment link, allowing you to pay the fee using a debit or credit card. Certificates are printed on secure paper and must be posted.

There is more information available on welfare.ie.

Further information is available from the Citizens Information Centre below.

Know Your Rights has been compiled by Kerry Citizens Information Service which provides a free and confidential service to the public. Contact us in Tralee on Tel: 0761 07 7860 Killarney 0761 07 7820, Listowel 0761 07 7840 Kenmare 0761 07 7810, & Caherciveen 0761 07 7780. Outreach Services; Killorglin weekly, Dingle monthly, please call Tralee for more information.

Information is also available online at citizensinformation.ie and from the Citizens Information Phone Service, 0761 07 4000.