Order a death certificate
All certificates issued are original certified documents.
You can only apply for a death certificate after the death has been registered.
If the death has been referred to the Coroner’s Office for an inquest, we cannot issue a certificate until the Coroner has written to you confirming they have issued us with a Certificate After Inquest or Inquest Adjourned.
A registrar can issue you certificates at the time of registration.
If you need to contact us, email SearchRoom@birmingham.gov.uk.
Which Register Office to apply to
You cannot visit the office to submit an application in person or collect a certificate.
We can only provide certificates for deaths that happened in Birmingham. We do not hold records for any area of the UK outside the boundaries of the city of Birmingham. The following places are outside Birmingham:
- Dudley
- Marston Green
- Sandwell (including Smethwick and West Bromwich)
- Solihull
- Staffordshire (including Burton-on-Trent and Tamworth)
- Wolverhampton
- Worcestershire (including Bromsgrove and Redditch)
If you need a certificate for a person who died at the Midland Metropolitan University Hospital or Sandwell Hospital, apply to the Sandwell Register Office, as these hospitals are not in Birmingham.
You can check which Register Office to apply to on the GOV.UK website.
If you order a certificate from the wrong Register Office
If you apply to us for a certificate of a death that happened outside Birmingham:
- you will not receive a certificate
- we will not refund the £12.50 application fee, which will be kept as a processing and search fee
Service costs and handling fees
Certificates ordered using our:
- standard service costs £12.50 each
- priority service costs £38.50 each
You can ask for copies of different certificates in the same order.
We recommend that you choose the Royal Mail Tracked 48 postal service to track the delivery. If you choose standard post, and your order is lost before it is delivered, we cannot send a replacement. If this happens, you will need to submit and pay for a new order.
The following handling fees will be added to your order:
- £4.50 for non-tracked standard service
- £7.35 for Royal Mail Tracked 48 service
- £17.00 for orders outside the UK
If we cannot find a matching entry for the certificate you have asked for, a search fee of £12.50 will be charged. We will refund the remaining fees that you have paid.
How to order online
To order a certificate online, you will need to tell us the deceased's (person who died):
- full name
- date of death
- place of death
- age or date of birth
- occupation
You should also read our Terms and Conditions and payment information.
How to order by post
You can write to us at:
Birmingham Register Office
Holliday Street
Birmingham
B1 1TJ
You will need to tell us:
- that you want a copy of a death certificate
- how many copies you want
- your full name and address
- your contact number
- the deceased’s (person who died) full name
- the date of death
- the place of death
- their age or date of birth
- their occupation
- their husband’s, wife’s or civil partner's name (if applicable)
You must send payment by cheque or postal order with your request. The service costs and handling fees are listed above.
If applying for multiple certificates, it would be helpful if you could send individual cheques or postal orders for £12.50 or £38.50 for each certificate, and one cheque or postal order for the relevant handling fee.
If we cannot find a matching entry for the certificate you have asked for, a search fee of £12.50 will be charged. We will refund the remaining fees.
Page last updated: 15 July 2026
