Register office
Encyclopedia
A register office is a British term for a civil registry
, a government office and depository where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get officially married, without a religious ceremony. The term and function is also used in some parts of the former British Empire
such as Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Jamaica , but not Canada.
, it is a local office for the registration
of births, marriages and deaths (B,M&D), and for the conducting of civil partnerships
. Set up by Act of Parliament in 1837, the statutory registration service is overseen by the Registrar General
as part of the General Register Office
(now part of the Home Office
Identity and Passport Service
) but provided locally by the county or unitary local authority.
Similar rules regarding registration have applied in Scotland
since 1855 and in Northern Ireland
since 1845 for marriages and 1864 for births and deaths.
The Register Office is the office of the Superintendent Registrar of the district, in whose custody are all the registers of BM&D dating back to 1837. The Superintendent Registrar is also responsible for conducting the legal preliminaries to marriage and conducting civil partnership ceremonies.
Registrations of BM&D are carried out by a registrar of BM&D and each registration district
will have one or more registrars and each may be responsible for a particular sub district.
Since 1994 the range of services offered by register offices has expanded so that they may now provide additional celebratory services including statutory citizenship and civil partnership ceremonies and non-statutory ceremonies such as naming and renewal of vows. All civil ceremonies may also now take place in local approved premises, usually hotels or public buildings.
On 1 December 2007 all Registrars and Superintendent Registrars in England and Wales
became employees of the local authorities providing the registration service, having been statutory officers with no legal employment status. This momentous change came about as a result of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007
following many decades of campaigning by the trade unions that represented registration officers in England and Wales, the Society of Registration Officers
and UNISON
.
Civil registry
Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database is called civil register or registry, or population registry. The primary purpose of civil registration is to create legal documents that are used to...
, a government office and depository where births, deaths and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get officially married, without a religious ceremony. The term and function is also used in some parts of the former British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
such as Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Jamaica , but not Canada.
United Kingdom
In England and WalesEngland and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, it is a local office for the registration
Civil registry
Civil registration is the system by which a government records the vital events of its citizens and residents. The resulting repository or database is called civil register or registry, or population registry. The primary purpose of civil registration is to create legal documents that are used to...
of births, marriages and deaths (B,M&D), and for the conducting of civil partnerships
Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom
Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom, granted under the Civil Partnership Act 2004, give same-sex couples rights and responsibilities identical to civil marriage...
. Set up by Act of Parliament in 1837, the statutory registration service is overseen by the Registrar General
Registrar General
General Register Office, in England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, and many Commonwealth nations, is the government agency responsible for civil registration - the recording of vital records such as births, deaths, and marriages...
as part of the General Register Office
General Register Office
The General Register Office for England and Wales is the section of the UK Identity and Passport Service responsible for the civil registration of births , adoptions, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths in England and Wales and for those same events outwith the UK if they involve a UK citizen...
(now part of the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
Identity and Passport Service
Identity and Passport Service
The Identity & Passport Service is an executive agency of the Home Office in the United Kingdom and became operational on 1 April 2006, succeeding the UK Passport Agency, after the passing of the Identity Cards Act 2006...
) but provided locally by the county or unitary local authority.
Similar rules regarding registration have applied in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
since 1855 and in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
since 1845 for marriages and 1864 for births and deaths.
The Register Office is the office of the Superintendent Registrar of the district, in whose custody are all the registers of BM&D dating back to 1837. The Superintendent Registrar is also responsible for conducting the legal preliminaries to marriage and conducting civil partnership ceremonies.
Registrations of BM&D are carried out by a registrar of BM&D and each registration district
Registration district
A registration district in the United Kingdom is a type of administrative region which exists for the purpose of civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths and civil partnerships...
will have one or more registrars and each may be responsible for a particular sub district.
Since 1994 the range of services offered by register offices has expanded so that they may now provide additional celebratory services including statutory citizenship and civil partnership ceremonies and non-statutory ceremonies such as naming and renewal of vows. All civil ceremonies may also now take place in local approved premises, usually hotels or public buildings.
On 1 December 2007 all Registrars and Superintendent Registrars in England and Wales
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
became employees of the local authorities providing the registration service, having been statutory officers with no legal employment status. This momentous change came about as a result of the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007
Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007
The Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which established the UK Statistics Authority . It came into force in April 2008. Sir Michael Scholar was appointed as the first Chair of the UKSA....
following many decades of campaigning by the trade unions that represented registration officers in England and Wales, the Society of Registration Officers
Society of Registration Officers
The Society of Registration Officers was a trade union representing officers of the vital registration service in England and Wales. Members provide the local birth, marriage and death registration service, the majority working in local Register Offices....
and UNISON
UNISON
UNISON is the largest trade union in the United Kingdom with over 1.3 million members.The union was formed in 1993 when three public sector trade unions, the National and Local Government Officers Association , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service...
.
Ireland
In Ireland legislation came into force in 1845, which provided for the registration of civil marriages and for the regulation of all non-Catholic marriages. Roman Catholic marriages were reported to the relevant superintendent registrar.External links
- General Register Office at Direct.gov (England and Wales)
- Online Certificate Ordering (England and Wales)
- General Register Office for Scotland
- General Register Office Northern Ireland