A marriage certificate produced by the Registrar is signed on high grade paper, containing a watermark, which is visible when the certificate is held up to light. It is this process performed by the Government that ensures the marriage certificate is a certified document and is suitable for official purposes.

An original marriage certificate is usually created by a registrar following the marriage.
An official marriage certificate is produced, when the Registrar signs and seals the certificate, certifying the document.

Any future copy of a marriage certificate is a ‘certified copy’, which is a copy of the original entry (or extract) made in the Official Registers.

The register offices hold Birth, Marriage and Death (BMD) indexes. At the registration of a marriage, important information or “entry” is added to the indexes. The entry or transcript of the marriage is then used to create the certified copy of the certificate. From these indexes’ certificates are supplied.

Please note, England and Wales do not use raised seals, but Scotland do use raised seals.

Should you require a certified copy of a marriage certificate, UK Document Services can help. 

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 marriage certificate service, click here.