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  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Family, home and community
    3. Family history, heritage and museums
    4. Research family history at the General Register Office NI (GRONI)

    Introduction to GRONI and its records

    If you are interested in genealogy or local history, you can search the archives and view or buy copies of certificates for life events, such as births, marriages and deaths for your own family or for a family you are studying.

    Records you can access

    GRONI (General Register Office Northern Ireland) holds civil birth, adoption, death, marriage and civil partnership records registered in Northern Ireland.

    Stillbirth records

    Stillbirth records are not available for public access. If you want to apply for a stillbirth certificate, you should contact GRONI.

    Baby loss certificates

    Baby loss certificates for pregnancies ending before 24 weeks

    Baby loss certificates are not yet available in Northern Ireland.

    Work is being done to offer this service for bereaved parents. This page will be updated when more details are available.

    Registration indexes held by GRONI

    • births registered from 1 January 1864 in what is now Northern Ireland
    • adoptions recorded in the Adopted Children Register Northern Ireland from 1 January 1931
    • deaths registered from 1 January 1864 in what is now Northern Ireland
    • registered non-Roman Catholic marriages from 1 April 1845 and all registered marriages from 1 January 1864
    • civil partnerships registered in Northern Ireland from 5 December 2005
    • World War II death indexes from 1939 to 1945

    Certificates are only available for life events registered in what is now Northern Ireland. You will need a credit or debit card to order online via the link below:

    • Ordering life event certificates

    Visit GRONI online

    For data protection reasons, if you are using the internet to search the register, some of the records will not be available to view. You will be able to access the following records if you go to GRONI online:

    • birth records over 100 years old
    • marriage records over 75 years old
    • death records (including World War II death records) over 50 years old

    You cannot access civil partnership and adoption records online. If you want to view these records, or view recent records, you must book an appointment at the GRONI's Public Search Room in Belfast or, if you know the details, you can apply online for certificates:

    • Ordering life event certificates

    GRONI Public Search Room

    GRONI also has a public search room where you can search computerised indexes and view records.

    Book a place

    GRONI has a limited number of spaces in the search room. Only one person at a time is allowed to use a computer terminal.

    If you want to use the public search room, there is no admission fee but you should make an appointment. GRONI cannot guarantee a place will be available in the search room if you have not made a reservation.

    Before booking a place, take a look at the public search room guidelines:

    • Preparing for GRONI's Public Search Room

    You can book a place in the public search room online (use the box available to suggest your preferred time):

    • Book an appointment

    Index searches available

    • basic index view – free
    • enhanced index view – one credit*
    • view full record or image – five credits*

    * One credit costs £0.50

    Copies of certificates available from the public search room

    You can buy copies of certificates for records you trace at £8.00 each but these cannot be provided immediately. You can collect the certificates from GRONI at a later date or GRONI can post these to you.

    If you apply for a copy certificate before 2.30 pm and pay an additional priority fee of £5.00, you will get the certificate within an hour of your application.

    Records available in the public search room

    The table below shows the records you can access in the GRONI public search room.

    Civil registration type Date span What can I view for these records?
    Birth 1 January 1864 to 31 December 1996 an image and index information
    Birth 1 January 1997 to current information recorded in text format only
    Death 1 January 1864 to 31 December 1996 an image and index information
    Death 1 January 1997 to current information recorded in text format only
    World War II deaths 1939 to 1954* an image and index information
    Marriages 1 April 1845 to first quarter 2004 an image and index information
    Marriages Second quarter 2004 to current information recorded in text format only
    Adoptions 1 January 1931 to December 2002 an image and index information
    Adoptions January 2003 to current information recorded in text format only
    Civil partnerships December 2005 to current information recorded in text format only

    * Although the war ended in 1945, World War II death records extend to 1954 to include deaths from injuries sustained during the war.

    Due to a crossover period for some of these records, GRONI cannot always provide an exact date for the change from one format to the other.

    Public search room opening hours

    The GRONI Public Search Room is open from 9.30 am until 4.00 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding public, bank and all Northern Ireland government holidays).

    The public search room is accessible to wheelchair users. A personal induction loop system is available for deaf or hearing-impaired visitors.

    Stillbirth records

    Stillbirth records are not available for public access. If you want to apply for a stillbirth certificate, you should contact GRONI.

    More useful links

    • Ordering life event certificates
    • Search GRONI's online records
    • Archives for family and local history
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    Research family history at the General Register Office NI (GRONI)

    • Go to GRONI online
    • GRONI's online search results
    • Introduction to GRONI and its records
    • Preparing for GRONI's Public Search Room
    • Record of Northern Ireland Connections
    • Register for a GRONI account
    • Search GRONI's online records

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