General search
General search
You can make an appointment to search the indexes of births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships at our Register Office.
The indexes relate to births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships which occurred within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea from 1 July 1837 onwards.
Process and fees
A general search is conducted in person by the applicant or someone on their behalf for up to six consecutive hours. You can access the indexes to the registers of births, deaths, marriages or civil partnerships but not the registers themselves. A certificate of any entry correctly identified may be obtained on completion of an application form and on payment of the correct fee.
If a person making a general search is uncertain whether a reference found in the indexes relates to the specific entry for which they are searching, the Superintendent Registrar may be able to verify those particulars by reference to the register itself. This is called a ‘verification’. Any additional information from the entry can only be obtained by the purchase of the certificate.
The fee for a general search is £20.
Any certificates you purchase will be ready to collect the next working day or can be posted out to you. We also offer a Same Day Service at a cost of £26 for each certificate provided on the day.
When undertaking a general search you should bring with you all the information you have, as this may help us to decide if any entries found are the correct ones.
Booking a general search
Contact the Register Office on [email protected] or 020 7361 4100 to discuss your requirements and to book a date for you to attend at the Chelsea Old Town Hall to conduct the general search.
You will need to complete a request form when you attend the Register Office to conduct a general search. You can complete this form in advance and bring it with you on the day of your appointment.
