The Council's Registration of Births, Still-births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnership service operates following guidance.
The Registrar's Offices in Derry and Strabane are both open and operate by appointment only to register births and for couples to collect their Marriage Schedules.
To register or give notice please follow guidance set out below and send to relevant email address:
📧 Birth Registration: [email protected] ,
📧 Death Registration: [email protected],
📧 Marriage or Civil Partnership: [email protected]
or a general enquiry: [email protected]
If you have a query please telephone 📞 028 71 376520 📞 02871 253253
*************************************
1. Birth Registration
Complete a Birth Registration Form ( your midwife may have given you one in the post-natal ward) or you can download the GRO 4 Birth Registration Form from www.nidirect.gov.uk and scan/photograph to [email protected] or post to Registrar’s Office at 14 Magazine Street, BT48 6HH or 47 Derry Road, Strabane BT82 8DY.
An appointment will then be arranged for you to visit at the office.
When you visit the office please bring the original Birth Registration Form that you completed.
You will be issued with your child’s short birth certificate free of charge and the full birth certificate is available at a fee of £8 (if possible please pay by card).
Please observe the guidance when you visit the office, measures have been put in place to look after the health and wellbeing of customers and staff.
We encourage social distancing and hand sanitiser is available for use.
If you have symptoms of Coronavirus please let the office know and another appointment will be scheduled.
2. Guidance for Bereaved Families, Death and Stillborn Registration
Families do not need to attend the office to register the death of their loved one.
Please complete a Death Registration Form GRO 73 which can be downloaded at www.nidirect.gov.uk
Please then send a copy/photograph of the completed form by email to [email protected].
A staff member will check to see if the Doctor has forwarded the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death or if relevant check that the Coroner’s paper has been received and will then make contact with you to register the death of your loved one.
We would like to offer our deepest sympathy to you and your family on the loss of your loved one.
If you need to talk with a member of staff please ring 028 71 376520 and select the option at the prompt or call 02871 253253.
Birth and Death Registration of a little baby
For parents whose little baby has sadly passed away shortly after birth, please ring the registrar on 028 71 376520 and select the prompt on the automated message. Alternatively email [email protected].
3. Guidance for Funeral Directors
As you are aware legislation has been implemented to allow death registrations to be carried out without family attending the Registration office.
Please ask family to complete the Death Registration GRO 73 form which can be downloaded from www.nidirect.gov.uk and email to the office at [email protected].
The Registrar/Deputy Registrar will make contact with the family when she has received both the MCCD and completed GRO 73 form to complete the death registration of their loved one. The family will advise how many Certificates are needed and these will be printed and posted out. There is a fee of £8 for each Certificate.
Thank you for your continued support and assistance
4. Guidance for all Marriage and Civil Partnership Ceremonies (2nd March 2022)
The Department of Health have recently updated NI Direct with guidance in relation to weddings and civil partnerships. The new guidance is therefore as follows:
When not to attend a ceremony
You should not attend a marriage or civil partnership ceremony if you are unwell with symptoms of COVID-19.
If either of the couple has symptoms of COVID-19 the ceremony should not go ahead.
Numbers attending a ceremony
If the ceremony or post-ceremony celebrations are taking place in a place of worship, a local government venue, or other venue such as a hotel, it is strongly recommended that the venue operator carries out a risk assessment to decide the maximum number of people that should attend. This should take into account individual circumstances and consideration of all relevant public health advice and industry guidance.
If the ceremony is taking place in a private dwelling (this should also apply to terminally ill weddings), it is strongly recommended that no more than 30 people should gather indoors for a ceremony or post-ceremony celebration. This number includes clergy/ officiants conducting the ceremony and children aged 12 and under.
There are no recommended limits on the number of people that should gather in a private garden.
Organising a ceremony
If you are organising a wedding or civil partnership it is important that you work closely with the venue to understand what measures they have in place.
It is strongly recommended that places of worship and venues should help manage the risk by:
- encouraging social distancing
- promoting the wearing of face coverings throughout the ceremony by everyone except the officiant, the couple and children aged 12 or under
- collecting contact details for each guest at the ceremony to help with the Test, Trace, Protect contact tracing programme.
Guest details should include the:
- name and telephone number of visitors over the age of 16
- date and time of arrival
Consideration should be given to how rites and rituals are observed as part of marriage ceremonies at this time, given the potential for transmission of COVID-19.
If you are planning a Religious/Belief, Humanist or Civil Marriage or Civil Partnership Ceremony within the District of Derry City and Strabane please submit your Marriage Notice as follows within 12 months to the date of your Marriage:
Each person needs to complete a Marriage Notice Application Form (these can be downloaded from www.nidirect.gov.uk.
When completed initially scan/photograph a copy through to [email protected] with copies of your relevant documents (as per explanatory notes attached to the Marriage Notice form)
We will then ring you to collect your fees and arrange an appointment for you to visit the office prior to your Wedding Day.
It is vital when you visit the office that you bring your original Marriage Notice forms and present you original documents for viewing. This then permits the issue of your Marriage Schedule before your Wedding Day.
If you are planning a Civil Partnership you follow the same steps as submitting a Marriage Notice except you complete a Civil Partnership Notice form which can also be downloaded from www.nidirect.gov.uk.
For Civil Marriage or Civil Partnership Ceremonies it is necessary to ensure that the District Registrar/Deputy Registrar is available to officiate at your Ceremony. Please contact the office by ringing or emailing [email protected] before submitting your Marriage Notice forms.
***************************************************************
You can download all registration forms from www.nidirect.gov.uk. or if you need a form posted out please advise us of your name and address.
Re-registration of a Birth (GRO 12 form, to add on father’s name after the first birth registration has already taken place or a GRO 15 form to re-register a birth after parents get married to one another) or
Change of Name Application Form – GRO 230 for anyone under 18 years of age and GRO 231 form for anyone 18 years and over.
You can download all registration forms with explanatory notes attached from www.nidirect.gov.uk. If you need guidance please ring the office on 028 71 376520 or 02871 253253.
***************************************************************
Derry City and Strabane District Council provides a professional and efficient Registration Service to all customers, carrying out duties in a caring and sensitive manner.
Registration Staff usual duties are as follows:
Register Births, Stillbirths, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships.
Administer and issue authorities for forthcoming Marriages and Civil Partnerships.
Officiate at Civil Marriage and Civil Partnership Ceremonies.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused at this time as the telephones are extremely busy but if it is possible that you can email the office on [email protected] we will respond promptly. Thank you.
District Registration Offices
Derry Office Strabane Office
14 Magazine Street, Derry/Londonderry Council Offices, 47 Derry Road,
BT48 6HH. Strabane, BT82 8DY.
T: 02871 353253 T: 02871 253253 Ext 4209
E: [email protected] E: [email protected]
Cemetery Administration is facilitated by the Cemeteries Team
Reordering Certificates
To order a copy of a Birth, Stillbirth, Death, Marriage or Civil Partnership Certificate after the day of registration Click here
_2.png?width=223&height=214&ext=.png)