Registrars

The Registration Service is a statutory service governed by The General Register Office but paid for by Local Authorities.  Every life event in the UK has to be registered and the registration service provides the means to do so.  Life events include births, marriages, civil partnership agreements (from December 2005), deaths and still-births.  The Registration Service also administers the provision and regulations in the Marriage Act 1949 and all other marriage regulations.  This includes the attestation of Notices of Marriage – the legal declaration each person must make at least 15 days before the day of their marriage, stating they are free legally to marry, according to the law of this country – and the performing of civil marriage ceremonies in the Register Office.

The Registration Service also provides the respository for all registers of births, marriages and deaths occurring within individual Registration Districts since 1837 when the UK Civil Registration Service was set up.