Our legal functions
Our statutory functions include:
- registering births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships
- taking notices of marriage and civil partnership
- providing a designated register office for foreign nationals to give notice of marriage and civil partnership
- being the custodian of registers (birth, death and marriage) dating back to 1837
- producing certified copies of the registered entries as and when requested
- conducting marriages/civil partnerships
- conducting citizenship ceremonies
- licensing venues (including religious premises for civil partnerships) where civil marriage and civil partnership ceremonies may be solemnised and other ceremonies celebrated
We also report any concerns we might have relating to fraud, including:
- suspicious applications for copy certificates
- benefit fraud
- suspected forced or sham marriages
View a list of information processing activities including collection of data and sharing of registration information.