F.A.Qs - Frequently Asked Questions

Registrations – Is there a charge?
No, there is no charge to register a birth/death or marriage event. All births and deaths MUST be registered by attending an office. Only marriage registrations can be done by registered post and it is recommended that you keep note of your track and trace information.

BIRTH CERTIFICATES
General Note: The information contained on this website is of a general nature. All Irish citizens are entitled to obtain a Birth Certificate.
Individuals should have access to accurate, comprehensive and clear information relating to social services and should be referred to the relevant services.
Births Deaths Marriages would like to acknowledge Comhairle, the government agency responsible for supporting the provision of information, advice and advocacy on social services in Ireland as a source of information for this website.

In no way does the information on Irish Birth Certificate or other information provided represent a legal interpretation of any relevant legislation and should you require further information please contact your local Registrar’s Office through the Department of Health.

It is imperative that the child’s details are registered correctly to avoid any confusion at a later stage.

The following is required:

  • Date, place, and time of the birth
  • Male or female
  • PPS No. for both parents
  • Correct spelling of forename and surname
  • Mother and father’s correct forenames and surnames
  • Mother’s birth surname
  • Occupation of parents
  • Photographic ID – preferably passport
  • Marriage cert for parents

Under the Civil Registration Act 2004, parents must register the child within 3 months. By doing so within the timeframe, the entry is linked to department of Social Community and Family Affairs and automatically a PPS number will be generated for the child and children allowance payments begin after a couple of weeks.

If you are late in registering your child you must attend the Social and Family Affairs Office to organise these yourself.

Maternity hospitals in Dublin

Rotunda Hospital

Parnell Square

Dublin 1

Phone  01 8730700

http://www.rotunda.ie/

National Maternity Hospital ( Holles Street)

Holles Street

Dublin 2

Phone 01 6373100

http://www.nmh.ie/

Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital

Cork Street

Dolphins Barn Dublin 8

01 4085200

http://www.coombe.ie/

Mount Carmel Hospital

Braemor Park

Churchtown

Dublin 14

014063400

http://www.mcm.ie/

A birth cert is a valuable legal instrument which should be kept safe, part of your heritage. What is it used for?

  • Obtaining a passport
  • Social welfare, entitlements, pensions
  • For school and college entry
  • Driving licence

You can only get the birth cert in the country that you were born. For people living in Ireland but born outside of the country, they must contact the registration authority in their country. Here is a list of websites that can provide further information:

Having your longform original Government birth certificate is mandatory by the Registration authority.

A period of three months notice is to be given to the State prior to the date of marriage, whether it is a church wedding or a civil wedding / partnership.

For all church weddings in Ireland an original birth cert is required.

A period of three months notice is to be given to the State prior to the date of marriage.

A marriage preparation course is mandatory for all church weddings and advice may be gotten at www.accord.ie

Having your longform original birth certificate is mandatory by the Registration authority.

A period of three months notice is to be given to the State prior to the date of marriage for a civil wedding.

Civil ceremonies can be held in the registry office, hotels, or in venues approved by the HSE and the couple.

Please refer to the official HSE website for more details on this at www.hse.ie.

A civil partnership is a solemn legal contract under the civil partnership and certain rights of the Co-Habitants Act 2010.

Having your longform original birth certificate is mandatory by the Registration Authority.

Civil partnership ceremonies can be held in the registry office, hotels, or in venues approved by the HSE and the couple. Please refer to the official HSE website for more details on this at www.hse.ie.

Notification requirements for a civil partnership

It is the legal requirement to give three months notice to the office of a registrar. For example entering into a civil partnership for December 1st 2012, one would have to register by September 1st 2012. It is worth noting that you can register at any registrar office, not necessarily the registrar office where you intend to enter into a civil partnership. Many people may work away from home.

Requirements for a civil partnership

  • Passport and or driver’s licence for photographic ID
  • Original longform birth cert
  • Utility bill and/or bank statement for proof of address
  • Fee €200
  • PPS number for all Irish applicants in the Republic
  • If previously married, your decree absolute
  • If widowed, the death cert of previous spouse
  • For all non Irish persons, apostille stamps are required on birth certs from certain countries. Please check with the Department of Foreign Affairs for more information
  • If previously in a civil partnership, the original dissolution is required
  • If parties to a civil registration are resident outside the state or ill, they may submit a postal notification when giving notice, please note it is only on receipt of application and all requirements are met, that the three months notice to the registrar begins
  • If the divorce decrees or dissolution papers are from a country where english is not the everyday language, they must be translated. Please note the registrar can direct you to translators in Ireland
  • Please note that both parties will have to meet the registrar at least 5 days before the ceremony if a postal notification was received

Under the Civil Registration Act 2004 on December 5th 2005, procedures were provided for to register a death.

A qualified informant generally a relative registers the death once they obtain the death notification form from the GP who dealt with the deceased and has stated the cause of death in Section 1.

Under Section 37 (1) of the Civil Registration Act 2004 the relative signs and completes part 2 of the death notification form within three months of the death in the registrar’s office which is a combination of personal details.

Once all is in order a death cert can be obtained by the relative for a fee.

Requirements for registering a death

The informant who is the relative or civil partner must provide the following information for the death notification form.

Along with their own photo ID:

  • Forename and Surname of the deceased
  • Date of Birth
  • Occupation
  • Status of the deceased
  • Cause of death to be filled by the GP, which is generally part 1 of the Death Notification Form
  • Forenames and surnames of the deceased’s father and mother
  • Date of registration
  • Signatures of informant or relative
  • Signatures of the civil registrar

It is important to note that in the event of a death as a result of an accident or in unexplained circumstances, the death must be referred to the local coroner where the death occurred. The coroner will be responsible for registering the death.

The relative or informant will need to make contact with the coroner’s office after a few months to see if the death has been registered. The relative will then be able to purchase the official death cert from the civil registration office nearest them. As the civil registration office is now centralised you can purchase the death cert from any office of your choice.

Whether it is registering your child to start school, college, for a marriage, obtaining a passport or social welfare a birth cert is required.

If you choose to change your name when you marry, which at this time in Ireland is not mandatory, you may need a marriage cert for the bank, building society etc. in order to make this change on your accounts.

A death cert may be required by social welfare regarding pensions, life assurances etc.

Long Form Certificates are the official legal certs in Ireland accepted for legal and administrative purposes. A photocopy would not be accepted as it will lose its authenticity.

Short forms are no longer accepted for legal and administrative purposes in Ireland and are used purely for informative purposes. Short forms are generally approximately A5 in size.

We do not do research for Irish genealogy purposes. Full information is required by us in order to process your certificates. Research on family trees and genealogy can be done through the General Registers (Oifig an Ard Chlaraitheora ).

Their address is:

General Register Office's

Research Room

Werburgh Street

Dublin 2

9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m

Ph: 01 894 0080

It is open to the general public and their website can be visited at www.gro.ie.

You can also visit the following websites for further information:
www.irish-roots.ie
www.irishgenealogy.ie

The Department of Foreign Affairs can only issue the Apostille Stamp.

80 St. Stephens Green
Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 4082528

The marriage provision of the Civil Registration Act 2004 was enacted into law on the 5th Nov. 2007 states that:

  1. Marriage in a church service or a civil service is a civil contract. Marriage certs can only be obtained from the country you get married in
  2. Both civil and church weddings require giving notifications to the Civil Registrar at any civil registrations office. See www.hse.ie for offices countrywide
  3. For church weddings, you also need to contact the religious denomination you follow on advice on procedures they need you to fulfill. www.accord.ie
  4. You must be 18 years or older under the Family Law Act 1995
  5. Three months notice must be given to marry in the Republic of Ireland

Generally, the couple are asked to provide:

  • Passport
  • Proof of address – utility bill or bank statement
  • Fee of €200, check with the local registration office
  • Birth cert. longform version. An apostille stamp should appear on the birthcert if not issued in the Republic of Ireland
  • If either parties were married previously they will require the original final divorce decree
  • If widowed, a death cert of the previous spouse
  • In the Republic of Ireland, your tax number, commonly known as your PPS number

Did you know that in Ireland it is not mandatory to change your surname to your spouse’s surname?

A person who wishes to change their name for social or particular reasons may do so by Deed Poll in the courts. Where children are between 14-17 years old , they can execute the deed poll but only with the consent of  both parents. Where other children are younger, one parent can execute the deed poll with the consent of the other parent.

Deed Poll Section.
The Four Courts,
Dublin 7.
(01) 888 6508

It is imperative that the child’s details are registered correctly to avoid any confusion at a later stage.

The following is required:

  • Date, place, and time of the birth
  • Male or female
  • PPS No. for both parents
  • Correct spelling of forename and surname
  • Mother and father’s correct forenames and surnames
  • Mother’s birth surname
  • Occupation of parents
  • Photographic ID – preferably passport
  • Marriage cert for parents

Under the Civil Registration Act 2004, parents must register the child within 3 months. By doing so within the timeframe, the entry is linked to department of Social Community and Family Affairs and automatically a PPS number will be generated for the child and children allowance payments begin after a couple of weeks.

The birth notification is sent by the hospital to Civil Registration Service shortly after the birth. It is the parents who are the primary informants and should go within three months to the Civil Registration office nearest them and register the birth. if the parents are married , either or can register on their own, however only one signature will appear on the cert. It is a matter of choice or the parents.

If the parents are not married it is obligatory both attend.

A birth cert is a valuable legal instrument issued to record a persons birth and identifying them by name, place of birth and and parentage which should be kept safe as part of your heritage. The legal birth in Ireland is known as a long form birth cert which is of an A4 size

What if it used for ?.

1 .Passports
2. Social welfare entitlements, Pensions
3. For school and college entry
4. Driving License

What do you need to get married in Ireland?

  • A valid passport or national ID card for both parties.
  • Original birth certificate for both parties.
  • Declaration of civil, religious or spiritual intent** for the ceremony you’re planning.
    Intended date and location of the wedding.
  • Names and dates of birth of both witnesses.
  • Give 3 months advance notice
  • If previously married , a decree absolute which is the final order which concludes the divorce process.
  • If a church ceremony notice must be given to the Church of 3 months
  • 3 months notice is also required for a Civil ceremony
  • A civil ceremony can take place in either the registry office or a HSE approved venue outside of the registry office like a Hotel.

When the Marriage takes place in a registry office the registrar takes the signed nuptials and registers the marriage

When you get married in a church the couple needs to bring the signed nuptials back to the civil registration office where they did their paperwork initially for it to registered

YOU CANNOT GET A MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE UNLESS THE MARRIAGE IS REGISTERED

WHAT DO YOU NEED A MARRIAGE CERT FOR

  • A marriage cert is proof of a legal marriage, It shows the bride’s maiden name, date of birth and occupation along with the grooms details.
  • If the bride chooses to change their name to her husband’s name a marriage cert is required. It is needed for the bank, insurance, passport etc
  • It should be pointed out that in Ireland it is not not mandatory for a woman to change her surname upon marriage

Following a death, a registered medical practitioner who attended the deceased must complete and sign part 1 of the Death Notification Form (DNF). Part 1 includes the Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death (MCCD).

  • This form is given to a relative or civil partner of the deceased, or if there are none, to another qualified informant (see list below of other qualified informants).
  • This form is then used to register the death. A relative, civil partner or another qualified informant must register the death within 3 months of the death occurring.
  • This form should be brought to the civil registration office nearest you with part two of the death notification form filled out with the personal details of the deceased
  • There is no charge to register a death , Photographic ID is needed by the next of Kin
    Once the death is registered, a death cert can be purchased.
  • A death cert is necessary for next of kin with Probate, pensions, banks while finalizing the estate of the deceased.

What is a Civil Partnership?
A civil partnership is a solemn legal contract under the civil partnership and certain rights of the Co-Habitants Act 2010.

Having your longform original birth certificate is mandatory by the Registration Authority.
Civil partnership ceremonies can be held in the registry office, hotels, or in venues approved by the HSE and the couple. Please refer to the official HSE website for more details on this at www.hse.ie.

Notification requirements for a civil partnership
It is the legal requirement to give three months notice to the office of a registrar. For example entering into a civil partnership for December 1st 2012, one would have to register by September 1st 2012. It is worth noting that you can register at any registrar office, not necessarily the registrar office where you intend to enter into a civil partnership. Many people may work away from home.

Requirements for a civil partnership

  • Passport and or driver’s licence for photographic ID
  • Original longform birth cert
  • Utility bill and/or bank statement for proof of address
  • Fee €200
  • PPS number for all Irish applicants in the Republic
  • If previously married, your decree absolute
  • If widowed, the death cert of previous spouse
  • For all non Irish persons, apostille stamps are required on birth certs from certain countries. Please check with the Department of Foreign Affairs for more information
  • If previously in a civil partnership, the original dissolution is required
  • If parties to a civil registration are resident outside the state or ill, they may submit a postal notification when giving notice, please note it is only on receipt of application and all requirements are met, that the three months notice to the registrar begins
  • If the divorce decrees or dissolution papers are from a country where english is not the everyday language, they must be translated. Please note the registrar can direct you to translators in Ireland
  • Please note that both parties will have to meet the registrar at least 5 days before the ceremony if a postal notification was received

Longform birth certs are the official legal certs in Ireland accepted for legal and administrative purposes
A photo copy is not accepted as it would loose its authenticity.

We do not do research for Irish genealogy purposes. Full information is required by us in order to process your certificates. Research on family trees and genealogy can be done through the General Registers (Oifig an Ard Chlaraitheora ).

Their address is:
General Register Office’s
Research Room
Werburgh Street
Dublin 2
9.30 a.m. to 4.30 pm
Ph: 01 894 0080
It is open to the general public and their website can be visited at www.gro.ie.
You can also visit the following websites for further information:
www.irish-roots.ie
www.irishgenealogy.ie

An Apostille is a certificate issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade verifying the genuineness of the signature and/or seal of a public officer, on a public document.
The Department of Foreign Affairs can only issue the Apostille Stamp.
80 St. Stephens Green
Dublin 2
+353 (0)1 4082528

A person who wishes to change their name for social or particular reasons may do so by Deed Poll in the courts. Where children are between 14-17 years old , they can execute the deed poll but only with the consent of both parents. Where other children are younger, one parent can execute the deed poll with the consent of the other parent.
Deed Poll Section.
The Four Courts,
Dublin 7.
(01) 888 6508