Our records
Devon Registration Service holds registers for births, deaths, and civil marriages in Devon dating back to July 1837.
Please note that we do not hold registers for Plymouth or Torbay. Apply directly to Plymouth City Council or Torbay Council.
Baptismal, marriage and burial registers prior to 1837 may be held by the local clergy or Devon Heritage Services.
Before you start
Before a search of the records is made you will need to provide the:
- full name of the person(s) included in the registration
- date of the event including day, month and year
- location of the event, for example, town or village
Please be aware our standard delivery service may take up to seven days.
Costs
All copy certificates cost £11.00. A priority service whereby certificates are posted out on the same day costs £35.00 (including the cost of the certificate).
Other ways to apply
We are unable to deal with applications made in person so please apply in advance by writing to:
Copy Certificates
Great Moor House
Bittern Road
Sowton
Exeter, EX2 7NL
Or you can call us on 0345 155 1002.
Charges
When ordering by post you should include a cheque made payable to Devon County Council. Please include a stamped addressed envelope for the returned certificate.
The General Register Office is responsible for keeping records of all events in England and Wales from 1837 until the present day, you can contact them by:
Writing to: GRO, PO Box 2, Southport, Merseyside, PR8 2JD.
Telephoning: 0300 123 1837
Visiting: www.gov.uk/general-register-office
Please note that reference numbers issued by the General Register Office are different from the local authority numbers and do not match up with local entries.