A full birth certificate includes the full name at birth, date of birth, place of birth and parents’ details. A short birth certificate does not have the parents’ details included.

Any full English birth certificate issued before 1969 will be presented in the ‘landscape’ format. The certificate contains the following information: the name and gender of the child, their date and place of birth, the father’s name, surname and occupation, the mother’s name, surname and maiden name.

From the September Quarter of 1911, the mother’s maiden name (surname before marriage) was added to the births, marriages and deaths index (BMD) held by the General Register Office (GRO).

The certificate should include:

• the district
• sub-district
• the county where the event was registered
• the date of registration
• the name and signature or mark of the informant (and their relationship to the child)
• the name of the registrar

Any full English birth certificate issued after 1969 will be presented in the ‘portrait‘ format. The certificate contains the following information: parent’s place of birth. From 1984 onwards the mother’s occupation was also included.

If the birth was registered in Wales the birth certificates may also have the text in Welsh.
Please note that a birth certificate is not evidence of identity.

Full birth certificates also referred to as unabridged certificates include the full name at birth, date of birth, place of birth and parents’ details. Whereas a short birth certificate also referred to as abridged and usually issued at the time of birth, does not have the parents’ details included. 

Should you require a full birth certificate, UK Document Services can help you. The most effective way to get the ball rolling on this, is for you to order online. Simply complete all the relevant fields on the order form and the order will be processed accordingly.

To find out more about our replacement birth certificate service, click here.