Birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates

Certificates available online

We currently have more than 1.2 million records indexed on system.

We hold birth, marriages and death registrations relating to the current geographical boundaries of County Durham. Areas that are no longer part of County Durham, such as Sunderland, South Tyneside, Gateshead, Hartlepool, Stockton and Darlington can be found by contacting the relevant local council.

What records are held online?

• Marriage records: 1837-2024
• Death records: 1991-2024
• Birth records: many of our indexes are available

Certificates not available online

If the certificate you want is not available online you can ask us to find a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate:

• Fill in our online request form
• contact us by phone

Please note there is a charge for a copy of a certificate.

What will we search on your behalf?

We will usually be able to do a search for you if it covers no more than five years, and accurate details are provided on the application. If we do not hold the certificate a search fee of £3.00 will be deducted from your refund amount.

If you prefer to search before you place an order for a certificate, please telephone 03000 266 000 to submit your search and pay the £3.00 fee, we aim to respond within five working days. If we hold the record you require we will supply you with a reference, if you decide to order a copy of the certificate the usual fees apply.

Information about adoption certificates

Adoption records are held centrally by the Registrar General. These relate to anyone who has been adopted since 1 January 1927 under the Adoption Acts. You can find out more information at Gov.uk: adoption records.