How to Find Birth, Marriage and Death Records
Order from the office where the event was registered. In the US, that's the state or local vital records office; the CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records lists them. In Canada, it's the provincial or territorial vital statistics office. In England and Wales, the General Register Office sells certificates online for £12.50.
Methods, step by step
- Pin down the place and the year. Records are held where the event happened. A birth in Manitoba is held by Manitoba, even if the person later lived in Ontario.
- US: find the right state office. On the CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records, pick the state from the Select a Location list or the map. You'll see the office, its fees and how to order. The CDC says the federal government doesn't distribute certificates.
- Canada: apply to the provincial or territorial office. Library and Archives Canada says it doesn't hold most of these records. Search the province's name plus "vital statistics".
- England and Wales: search FreeBMD, then order from the GRO. On FreeBMD's search, tick Births, Deaths or Marriages, enter the surname and a date range, and choose a district if you know it. A match gives you the quarter, the district and the volume and page, which make up the GRO index reference. Then register on the GRO website and order. A certificate costs £12.50 and is sent 4 days after you apply. Without the index reference it's £3.50 more and takes 15 working days. The priority service is £38.50.
- Check eligibility for recent records. Many US states and Canadian provinces restrict recent records to the person, close family or a legal representative. Older records are often open to anyone.
Example walkthrough
Ordering a great-grandparent's birth certificate (England)
Illustrative example. The names, numbers and details are invented placeholders, not a real person or case.
Family papers say "Ada Example" was born around 1890 near Leeds. On FreeBMD you tick Births, enter the surname and first name, and set the years 1888 to 1892. One result appears in the Leeds district for the March quarter of 1890, with a volume and page number. On the GRO site you enter those details as the index reference and pay £12.50, with no search fee because you have the reference.
United States
The federal government doesn't hold individual birth or death records; states do. The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics publishes Where to Write for Vital Records, with each state's office and how to order.
Canada
Library and Archives Canada says it doesn't hold most birth, marriage or death records. Apply to the vital statistics office in the province or territory where the event happened.
United Kingdom
In England and Wales, GRO certificates cost £12.50 and are sent 4 days after you apply. Without a GRO index reference there's an extra £3.50 per search and a 15-working-day wait. The priority service costs £38.50. Scotland and Northern Ireland keep their own registers.
Common dead ends, and why they fail
- Look-alike ordering sites. They charge extra to submit the same form to the same office. Use the government's own site.
- Asking a national archive in Canada or the US. Neither Library and Archives Canada nor the US federal government holds most individual records.
- Expecting FreeBMD to be complete. It's a volunteer transcription of the GRO index, and not every entry is done. A missing result may just mean that entry hasn't been transcribed yet.
- Recent records for other people. In many places these are restricted, so you'll be asked for proof of your relationship or entitlement.
What if nothing works
- Search a wider span of years and other spellings; ages and names were often recorded loosely.
- Try church registers, census records and local archives, which pre-date or fill gaps in civil registration.
- Phone the vital records office or the GRO. They can tell you what search they can do for a fee.
What people search for on this topic
This is a genealogy-heavy topic. "For free", "online" and countries (Canada, Mexico, Italy, Jamaica, Australia; on Bing Quebec, Ireland, England) suggest people tracing family abroad. "On ancestry com" shows paid-database demand.
The question suggestions switch to a different need: getting your own certificate quickly ("same day", "at DMV", "from health department", "without ID", "from another state").
Those are two different pages: a family-history guide and a "replace your birth certificate" guide.
Google's top suggestions for how to find birth records (US, captured October 12, 2026):
- how to find birth records for free
- how to find birth records
- how to find birth records online
- how to find birth records for free online
- how to find birth records in canada
Time is the main modifier: "from years ago", "from the 1990s", "from the 1980s", "30 years ago", and specific years on Bing (1968, 1978, 2000, 2004, 2017). People are looking for old notices that may never have been put online.
"For free" appears repeatedly, and Canada-flavoured suggestions add Ontario. This topic isn't covered by a guide yet; the closest is our vital records guide.
Google's top suggestions for how to find an obituary (US, captured October 12, 2026):
- how to find an obituary
- how to find an obituary from years ago
- how to find an obituary for someone
- how to find an obituary for free
- how to find an obituary from years ago free
Autocomplete shows what people commonly type, not how many. There are no search volumes here. The method and the full capture are on our search demand page.
FAQ
How much is a birth certificate in England?
£12.50 from the GRO online, plus £3.50 if you don't have the GRO index reference.
Can I get someone else's birth certificate?
In many US states and Canadian provinces, recent records are limited to the person and close family. Check the rules of the office that holds the record.
Where are US death records?
With the state where the death occurred. The CDC's Where to Write page lists each office.
Are these records free online?
Indexes often are. Certified copies cost a fee.
What do I need to order a GRO certificate?
A GRO account, a debit or credit card and the person's details. The GRO index reference, which you can find on FreeBMD, saves the £3.50 search fee and speeds things up.
Can I order a certificate from a local register office?
Yes. GOV.UK says you can also order from the local register office where the birth, death or marriage was registered.
Related guides
Also on Searches.com
Sources
Facts checked October 12, 2026 against the official sources linked on this page. Laws and fees change; check the source before you rely on a detail.