If you require a certificate for a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership which was registered in Wakefield or Pontefract you can apply to the appropriate register office in person, in which case the certificate will be prepared while you wait (usually just a few minutes, depending on the accuracy of the information about the event which you are able to provide).

Alternatively, you can telephone the appropriate office with the information and, if you have a debit or credit card, you can pay by telephone and the certificate(s) will be posted to you the same day.

Similarly, you can email the details to either Wakefield or Pontefract Registrars (see Contact link) or and, if you are resident in the UK and include your telephone contact details in your email, a member of our staff will telephone you to take payment by debit or credit card and the certificate(s) will be posted to you the same day.

The information you will need to provide is:

Birth Certificates -  

• Name and surname of child and parents' names if known
• Date of birth (or approximate year if exact date not known)
• Place of birth (town or village if exact place not known)
• The address to which the certificate is to be posted and a telephone number where we can contact you.

Death Certificates -  

• Name and surname of deceased
• Age at death or date of birth (if known)
• Date of death (or approximate year if exact date not known)
• Where the death occurred (town or village if exact place not known)
• The address to which the certificate is to be posted and a telephone number where we can contact you.

Marriage and Civil Partnership Certificates -

• Names of the parties
• Date of the event
• Where the ceremony took place (town or village if exact place not known)
• The address to which the certificate is to be posted and a telephone number where we can contact you.