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Certificate requests

Reduced service

We are operating a reduced service until Monday 6 July 2026. 

Until then, we will only be able to issue certificates for any registrations within the last 12 months.

All registrations from over 1 year ago must use the General Register Office service. 

Applications from over 1 year ago will get automatic refunds.

If you need a copy certificate from within the last year, please email us with the name and date of the event and we will send you a link to order online.

We hold records of births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships that have taken place in Tower Hamlets since 1837. All requests are to be made online via our portal. If we cannot find your entry, you may be able to apply through the GRO.

  • We aim to process all standard requests within five working days (government standard is 15 working days).
  • Priority requests received before 3pm are processed before 3pm the next working day. We process requests Monday to Friday each week (except bank holidays). Therefore requests over the weekend may not be available until Tuesday.
  • You will be notified via email when your certificate is ready for collection or sent out for delivery.
  • We do not accept responsibility for any damage caused by Royal Mail.
  • All our post (including special delivery) is collected by the council's post team on Tuesday and Friday mornings so please be aware of the delay in receiving your order. If you need your certificate urgently, please arrange a collection from our office.
  • Certificates are held for collection for a maximum of six months and then destroyed to comply with GDPR. No refund or exchange will be provided for an uncollected certificate.

Please visit our fees page for information on costs and our terms and conditions page for information on refunds.

Certificates are sent out via standard second class postage for free: Please note Royal Mail service standards.

If the certificate goes missing or is damaged in the post, you will need to pay for a new one. We also offer tracked and international postage for a fee.

Payment for certificates must be made at the time of the request. Refunds will not be issued if your certificate is lost in standard post or if the details do not match what you expect.

Marriage certificates

If you have had a legal religious ceremony in Tower Hamlets, you will need to order a copy of your marriage certificate by accessing the 'order a copy certificate' option.

Islamic ceremonies that took place without legal preliminaries at a Register Office are not in scope of this. 

Form errors

If you get an error message whilst using the online form, please email our team with your:

  • name
  • telephone number
  • reason for search
  • relationship to the person on the certificate and
  • as many details on the certificate as possible.

You may be asked to fill in a form. A fee will then be collected over the telephone before processing your request.