TRACE e-Gov Portal

Title	Description
Adding a father's name to a birth certificate	Re-register your child’s birth to add the natural father’s details to the birth record.
Adoption records	You can access your birth records if you don’t have them because you were adopted.
Apply for a Gender Recognition Certificate	Apply to the Gender Recognition Panel for a Gender Recognition Certificate if you want your acquired gender to be legally recognised in the UK.
Certifying a document	Certify a document as a true copy of the original by getting it signed and dated by a professional person, like a solicitor.
Change your name by deed poll	You don’t have to follow a legal process to start using a new name. But you might need a ‘deed poll’ to apply for or to change official documents like your passport or driving licence.
Correct a birth registration	You can apply for a birth registration correction when the information is wrong - for example if a mistake was made when recording a parent’s occupation.
Correct a death registration	You can’t change a death certificate once it’s been issued, but you can apply to get a note added to the original entry in the death register.
Correct a marriage registration	Corrections can only be made when the information in a marriage register is wrong (for example a mistake was made when recording a person’s occupation).
Find a register office	You can use a register office to: - register a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership - find records of a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership (if it was registered at that register office) - order copies of certificates
General Register Office	The General Register Office holds records of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, stillbirths and adoptions in England and Wales.
General Register Office for Northern Ireland	The General Register Office for Northern Ireland stores records of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, stillbirths and adoptions in Northern Ireland.
Get a copy of military service records	You can apply for either: - your own service records if you are, or have been, a member of the armed forces - the records of someone who’s deceased if you’re eligible, for example you’re their immediate next of kin or you’re researching them
Get your document legalised	You can get certain official UK documents ‘legalised’ by asking the Legalisation Office to confirm that the signature, stamp or seal is from a UK public official.
Marriages and civil partnerships in the UK	You can get married or form a civil partnership in the UK if you’re: - 16 or over - free to marry or form a civil partnership (single, divorced or widowed) - not closely related
National Records of Scotland	The National Records of Scotland store records of births, deaths, marriages, civil partnerships, divorces, stillbirths - they’re also responsible for the Scottish national archives, which contain government documents and public records.
Order a commemorative marriage certificate	Register on the General Register Office website to buy a special certificate to mark a silver (25th), ruby (40th), golden (50th) or diamond (60th) wedding anniversary. Certificates cost £23.40.
Order a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate	You need to register on the General Register Office (GRO) website to order a copy of a birth, adoption, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate in England and Wales.
Register a birth	All births in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must be registered within 42 days of the child being born. You should do this at the local register office for the area where the baby was born or at the hospital before the mother leaves. The hospital will tell you if you can register the birth there.
Register a birth abroad	You must register your child’s birth according to the regulations in the country where the child was born. They’ll give you a local birth certificate.
Register a death	Find out how to register a death in the UK or abroad.
Register a stillbirth	A stillbirth should be registered at a register office within 42 days. Sometimes a stillbirth can be registered after 42 days - the register office can explain when this can happen. You can name the baby in the register.
Research your family history using the General Register Office	Order birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and death certificates from the General Register Office (GRO) to help you research your family history and family tree.
Verify an Apostille	Use this service if you want to verify an Apostille certificate issued in the UK.
What to do after someone dies	You may be able to use the Tell Us Once service to report a death to most government organisations in one go.
Apply for an exhumation licence	You need to apply for a licence to remove human remains from the ground.
Apply to settle in the UK if your partner dies	You can apply to settle in the UK if your partner dies and you’re either: - in the UK as the partner of a ‘settled person’, ie they had ‘indefinite leave to remain’ and you’re their dependant - in the UK as the partner of a British citizen, eg you married a British Citizen and have a UK visa on that basis
Appoint the Public Trustee as executor of your estate	You can appoint the Public Trustee as the executor of your estate to deal with your property and money after you die
Business Relief for Inheritance Tax	Business Relief reduces the value of a business or its assets when working out how much Inheritance Tax has to be paid. Any ownership of a business, or share of a business, is included in the estate for Inheritance Tax purposes.
Challenge a presumption of death claim	You can challenge (‘intervene in’) or apply to challenge a presumption of death claim
Change a will after a death	You can change a person’s will after their death, as long as any beneficiaries left worse off by the changes agree.
Change or cancel a presumption of death certificate	You can make a claim to cancel (‘revoke’) or change (‘vary’) the details of a declaration of presumed death from the High Court if you can prove the missing person: - is still alive - died at a time earlier or later than the time of death in the original declaration
Claim or refer an unclaimed estate	When someone dies with no will or known family, their property passes to the Crown as ownerless property (or ‘bona vacantia’). It can be any kind of property, like buildings, money or personal possessions. You could be entitled to a share of a deceased relative’s property (‘estate’) if you’re a relative.
Find a soldier's will	Search for the will of a soldier who died while serving in the British armed forces between 1850 and 1986.
Find a will or probate document (England and Wales)	Find a will or ‘grant of representation’ for people who died in or after 1858.
Find and claim money in a court account	You can find and claim money you’re entitled to from a civil court in England and Wales if it hasn’t been claimed.
Find bereavement services from your council	Contact your council to find resources and support to help in times of bereavement.
Get a declaration of presumed death	You can make a claim for a ‘declaration of presumed death’ from the High Court if someone you know in England and Wales has been missing for: - 7 years or more - less than 7 years and you think they’ve died, eg they went missing during a natural disaster
Inheritance Tax	Inheritance Tax is a tax on the estate (the property, money and possessions) of someone who’s died.
Intestacy - who inherits if someone dies without a will?	Find out who is entitled to a share of someone’s money, property and possessions if they die without making a will.
Make a statutory will on behalf of someone else	Apply to the Court of Protection if you want to make (or change) a will on behalf of someone who cannot do it themselves.
Making a will	Your will lets you decide what happens to your money, property and possessions after your death. If you make a will you can also make sure you don’t pay more Inheritance Tax than you need to.
Pay your Inheritance Tax bill	You must pay Inheritance Tax by the end of the sixth month after the person died.
Tax on property, money and shares you inherit	You don’t usually pay tax on anything you inherit at the time you inherit it. You may need to pay: - Income Tax on profit you later earn from your inheritance, eg dividends from shares or rental income from a property - Capital Gains Tax if you later sell shares or a property you inherited - Inheritance Tax
Telling DVLA after someone dies	You can use the Tell Us Once service to notify DVLA when someone dies if it’s available in your area.
Update property records when someone dies	How you update the property records when someone dies depends on whether they were the joint or sole owner of a property.
Valuing the estate of someone who's died	As part of applying for probate, you need to value the money, property and possessions (‘estate’) of the person who’s died. You don’t need probate for all estates. Check if you need it.
Wills, probate and inheritance	Applying for the legal right to deal with someone’s property, money and possessions (their ‘estate’) when they die is called ‘applying for probate’.
Your benefits, tax and pension after the death of a spouse	Your income will probably change after the death of your husband, wife or civil partner. If you get extra money from pensions, annuities, benefits or an inheritance, you may need to pay more tax. You may be on a lower income and need to pay less tax. Your tax allowances - the income you don’t pay tax on - may also change.
Apply for a list of deaths registered in the UK	You can apply to get a weekly list of registered deaths in the UK if you’re part of an approved organisation.
Register a birth	All births in England, Wales and Northern Ireland must be registered within 42 days of the child being born. You should do this at the local register office for the area where the baby was born or at the hospital before the mother leaves. The hospital will tell you if you can register the birth there.
Register a stillbirth	A stillbirth should be registered at a register office within 42 days. Sometimes a stillbirth can be registered after 42 days - the register office can explain when this can happen.
View or share your driving licence information	You can use this service to: - view your driving record, for example vehicles you can drive - check your penalty points or disqualifications - create a licence ‘check code’ to share your driving record with someone, for example a car hire company
Tell DVLA you've changed address	You must update your driving licence, vehicle log book (V5C), Direct Debit for vehicle tax and other details when you move home - even if it’s temporary (for example, going to university).
Apply to check someone else's criminal record	Contents - When to check someone else's criminal record - How to apply for a check
Find out if you can check someone's criminal record	Use this tool to find out if you need to apply for a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check for your employee. You can only check someone’s criminal record if they’re applying for certain roles.
Register a death	Find out how to register a death in the UK or abroad.

United Kingdom

Vital Records

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