If you discover an error within a birth, death or marriage registration, please contact the register office where the birth, death or marriage occurred.
There is now a statutory charge to correct an entry. This is dependent on the type of mistake that has been made. The fee levied is either £75 or £90.
The person who was originally present at the time of registration will need to provide a statement outlining the nature of the error and how it has occurred. They will also need to confirm that they would be willing to attend the register office to witness the correction.
When can a correction be made?
Information that was recorded incorrectly at the time of registration can be corrected. This process cannot be used to change the details of a registration. For example if something on the original registration is spelt incorrectly then this would be changed by correction, however if you have simply changed you mind about a name or other information within the registration, these cannot be corrected in this way.
How to apply
- To change the child's forename within 12 months of registration: Go to the changing a child's forename page where you can get the necessary application forms and information you need. There is now a £40 fee to change a child's forename.
- For a correction to a birth entry: Go to the GOV.UK website where you can download all the required applications and read more information on the procedure. Then contact the relevant register office.
- For a correction to a death entry: Go to the GOV.UK website where you can download all the required applications and read more information on the procedure. Then contact the relevant register office.
- For a correction to a marriage entry: Go to the GOV.UK website where you can download all the required applications and read more information on the procedure. Then contact the relevant register office.
- If the correction needs to be completed by Ealing Register Office, please use this form to request a correction once you have completed the relevant application form.
What happens next?
Once you have submitted your request to the Register Office and you have paid the statutory fee, we will review the request to see if it meets the criteria for a correction and if all the necessary evidence has been produced. At this stage the Register Office will either authorise the correction if they are able, or will forward it to the Registrar General to be actioned. If the error can be corrected locally i.e. an error that they have permission to change without referring it to our head office, they will write/email to you and arrange for you to attend an appointment to amend the entry.
If the nature of the error is such that it requires permission from our head office to correct, they will forward the application to the Registrar General for authorisation. Once the Registrar General is satisfied that an error has occurred and it can be corrected, they will write to you to let you know that the correction has been authorised. They will also let you know whether you need to attend. They will write to the Register Office and authorise them to make the correction.
In most cases the correction will need to be witnessed by the original informant and you will need to make an appointment to do this. In some cases the Registrar General may need a Statutory Declaration before a solicitor or Justice of Peace. This would mean that the correction does need to be made in front of the original informant.
Once the correction has been made, you can apply for copies of the certificate of the corrected entry online.