General Register Office (Northern Ireland) facts for kids

The General Register Office (GRO) (Northern Ireland) is like a super important record-keeping office for Northern Ireland. Its main job is to keep official records of big life events. This includes things like when people are born, when they pass away, when they get married, or when they adopt a child.

The GRO also helps make sure the rules for marriages and civil partnerships are followed. It's part of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA), which is itself part of the government's Department of Finance. You can find their main office in Belfast, at Colby House, Stranmillis Court.

What Records Does GRONI Keep?

The General Register Office (GRONI) holds many important records. These records help people find out about their family history. You can only get official certificates for events that happened in what is now Northern Ireland.

• Births: Records for births started on 1 January 1864.
• Adoptions: Records for adoptions began on 1 January 1931.
• Marriages: Records for non-Roman Catholic marriages started on 1 April 1845. All other marriages were recorded from 1 January 1864.
• Civil Partnerships: These records started on 5 December 2005.
• Deaths: Records for deaths began on 1 January 1864.
• World War II Deaths: There are also records for deaths during World War II, from 1939 to 1945.

How to Get Records

If you need an official certificate for a birth, death, or marriage, you can order it in a few ways. You can order online, call them, or send a request by post. You can find the form to download on their website.

If you want to pick up a certificate in person, you must go to the General Register Office in Belfast. You can usually get it in about 30 minutes for a higher fee, or in three working days for the standard fee.

Looking Up Records Online

Since April 2014, you can search some records on the GRONI website. You can get basic information like the place and date of birth, and parents' names, for a small fee. A full scanned copy of the record costs a bit more.

To protect people's privacy, not all records are available online. Only older records can be viewed:

• Birth records that are over 100 years old.
• Marriage records that are over 75 years old.
• Death records (including World War II death records) that are over 50 years old.

You cannot look up civil partnership or adoption records online. If you want to see these, or more recent records, you need to book an appointment to visit the office. If you already know the details, you can apply for certificates online. For records about stillbirths, you need to contact the office directly.

Visiting the GRONI Office

The GRONI search room is open from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. On the first Tuesday of every month, it opens a bit later, at 10:00 AM. It's a good idea to book your visit ahead of time. The search room is easy to access for wheelchair users. There is also a special listening system for visitors who are deaf or have hearing difficulties.

See also

• General Register Office
• Office for National Statistics
• Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency