Duplicate Certificates

On application, duplicate certificates are available for births, marriages, civil partnerships or deaths which occurred in the Borough of Southend-on-Sea.Not all birth records are held at Southend Registration Office, please see below for advice about which records we hold.)

How to apply for a Duplicate Certificate

To apply and pay online for a duplicate certificate, please use the 'Application form to apply for a Certified Copy Certificate' at the right hand side of this page under 'Online forms'. The form will guide you through your certificate delivery options and associated costs.

Alternatively contact the Registration Service for a paper application form. The form should be returned to the Register Office at the Civic Centre. A cheque to cover the fee should be enclosed, with your payment card number on the back. You can also pay by credit/debit card or by cash if you return the form in person. 

Fees and Charges 2012/13

The certificate will normally be available for collection within 2 to 3 working days. It can be posted out to you or you can provide us with a self addressed envelope, however this service can take longer during busy periods.

We also offer a Priority Service; either Same Day or Next Day collection if ordered before 2pm. Please see the table below for details.

Certificates can also be applied for directly from the General Register Office (see 'Useful Websites' on the right hand side of this page).

Data Protection Act 1998

The information you provide will only be used to process this request. Your personal data will be held securely and will not be passed to any other organisation. This form will be held for no longer than two years in order to complete our processing requirements. Please read our privacy statement.

Information About Birth Certificate Requests

Have you been adopted?

If the answer is "yes", we are unable to proceed with your application for a Birth Certificate. Records of adoption in England and Wales are held by the Registrar General. These relate to persons who have been adopted since 1st January 1927 under the Adoption Acts. Applications for adoption certificates should be made in writing. Please contact GRO adoptions at the General Register Office (see 'Useful Websites' on the right hand side of this page for further information and contact details).

The following birth records are held here at the Civic Centre:

• Southend-on-sea - (Including Southend, Prittlewell, Thorpe Bay , Westcliff-on-sea, Leigh-on-Sea and Eastwood): We hold all records from 1837 to the present.
• Castle Point and Rochford - (Including Rochford, Great Wakering, Hadleigh, Thundersley, Benfleet, Canvey Island and Rayleigh): We hold all records for the period 1st April 1974 to 31st March 1998.

For Castle Point and Rochford births occurring outside of this period, records are now held in the district of Castle Point and Rochford, with the exception of births occurring in the following areas during the period 1st July 1948 to 30th September 1961: Hadleigh, Benfleet, Thundersley and Canvey Island; these records are held in the district of Thurrock.

For example:

• If you were born at Rochford Hospital on 21st June 1953 you would need to apply to Castle Point and Rochford.
• If you were born at Rochford Hospital on 9th September 1976 you can apply to Southend.
• If you were born at home on Canvey Island on 25th December 1960 you would need to apply to Thurrock.

If the registration took place at a location outside of those listed please proceed to the General Register Office (see 'Useful Websites at the right hand side of this page).