"Copy" Birth and Marriage Certiifcates

Moonwolf

Forms such as the NHS Pensions AW8P ask for original birth and marriage certificates.

However, the original issued at birth are not always available. So does this mean original or does it mean government issued as opposed to a photocopy?  This is frustrating when the missing certificate is the result of a failure to return a certificate from a previous interaction.

I can get a "copy" certificate from the GRO, would that be OK?  Is there another mechanism to get another "original".  As a form of ID they are pretty rubbish but I assume there is a good reason for the paper trail.  

dunstonh

Original normally includes official copies. i.e. Government produced copies.

Moonwolf

dunstonh said:

Original normally includes official copies. i.e. Government produced copies.

Thank you, Exactly what I was hoping to hear which is nice.

Flugelhorn

those sent from GRO are certified copies and therefore will be accepted - we used them for NHS pensions and they were quickly OK'd and returned

LightFlare

Moonwolf said:

Forms such as the NHS Pensions AW8P ask for original birth and marriage certificates.

However, the original issued at birth are not always available. So does this mean original or does it mean government issued as opposed to a photocopy?  This is frustrating when the missing certificate is the result of a failure to return a certificate from a previous interaction.

I can get a "copy" certificate from the GRO, would that be OK?  Is there another mechanism to get another "original".  As a form of ID they are pretty rubbish but I assume there is a good reason for the paper trail.  

Yes 100% (from recent experience)

I sent off for official copies. As long as you can find the listing on the electronic database, then they are pretty fast - otherwise 28days or so 

Think they were ~£17 or so each

molerat

There is really no such thing as an "original" certificate.  The one you get at the time is just an official copy of an entry in the register but made at the same time as the entry, the ones you order later are just newer official copies of that same entry.

LightFlare

molerat said:

There is really no such thing as an "original" certificate.  The one you get at the time is just an official copy of an entry in the register but made at the same time as the entry, the ones you order later are just newer official copies of that same entry.

true - they all say certified copy of..... except for the small square ones that do state certificate of birth - but i believe they are just "souvenir" documents