Author Topic: Link: Top tips for Ordering Certificates for NI counties  (Read 27039 times)

Offline akanex2

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Link: Top tips for Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« on: Sunday 24 May 09 14:13 BST (UK) »
Civil Registration of non-catholic marriages started in Ireland, north and south, on 1 April 1845.  The commencement date for registration of births, deaths and catholic marriages was 1 January 1864.  A full NI birth, marriage or death certificate cost £12 from GRONI, but there are a number of cheaper options available.

The best option is to visit GRONI in Chichester Street, Belfast and pay £12 for a full day’s “index search” which must be booked several weeks in advance.  This entitles you unrestricted access to computerised indexes and to 4 “look ups” of the actual registers.  Any additional look ups are then charged at £3 each.  These provide all the details recorded and included on the full price certificate.  I would recommend doing your pre 1921 birth and death searches on the LDS website first and taking a list of references to check with you.  At GRONI the marriage and post 1922 indexes are excellent and very easily searched, while the earlier birth and death entries – although computerised – are less convenient.

You can order a transcript of the details on a marriage certificate by phone from the Registrar’s Office at the relevant District Council for £3 or £4 plus postage if you know the names of the bride and groom and the exact date and place of marriage (Belfast City Council don't provide this service).  These details are available from the Emeraldancestors.com online subscription database and look ups are often offered on this site by people with subscriptions.

You can search for all NI registration certificate references 1845-1921 online at the LDS Pilot Site

http://pilot.familysearch.org/recordsearch/start.html#p=collectionDetails;t=searchable;c=1408347

A search on this site will give you the name, registration district, year, quarter (if any), volume and page number taken from a microfilm of GRONI’s own index.  This information is sufficient to allow you to order a certificate from GRONI for £6 (DO NOT TELL THEM you got the above details from the LDS website or they will charge you £12!!).  Certificates normally arrive at UK addresses within 1-2 weeks.

http://www.groni.gov.uk/index/order_certificates.htm

County Antrim and Down certificate details (including Belfast) may be available online from AncestryIreland.com for £4 which is a slightly cheaper option, but doesn't provide the official document.

http://www.ancestryireland.com/database.php?filename=db_QUIS

Pre 1921 certificates for all parts of Ireland are also available from the Republic of Ireland GRO in Co Roscommon.  They offer a cut price “research certificate” which is uncertified and is an actual photocopy of the original registration entry.  This costs €6 plus postage  (or €4 plus postage with the full reference from the LDS site) and can only be paid for in cash or by sending you credit card details in the post, which many people consider to be a security risk.  Also the service can take around 4 weeks.  GROI also provide a public search room in Lower Abbey Street, Dublin, but the indexes are quite antiquated and it’s a good idea to do your searching on the LDS site prior to visiting.

http://www.groireland.ie/apply_for_a_cert.htm


Offline Bhoy

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #1 on: Monday 25 May 09 10:47 BST (UK) »
Superb summary.  Thanks.

Offline TF13

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #2 on: Monday 25 May 09 11:16 BST (UK) »
totally agree! if it was made a "stickied" topic then it would remain at the top of the board and stand out more. if the cost of certs change over time,they're bound to,then it would be a simple matter of popping back and editing the prices.

tony

Offline mr-aitch

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 26 May 09 00:34 BST (UK) »
Hi,

I'm afraid I've never been able to persuade GRONI to supply me with a certificate at the reduced rate when I provide them with name, year, district, volume and page numbers.  They insist "we don't work that way" and charge me £12.  No, I don't tell them that I get them from the LDS website because I don't.  I get them from the LDS FHC either in Belfast, before it closed, or Edinburgh.  I don't tell them my source nor do they ask.

Their website

http://www.groni.gov.uk/certificate-fees

makes their policy very clear.  They insist on the entry number and date of registration.

mr-aitch


Offline akanex2

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 26 May 09 12:41 BST (UK) »
They do seem inconsistent, but I know of 2 other people who got GRONI certificates within the last 2 months for £6 using references I took from the pilot site.  Must be luck of the draw!

Offline Bhoy

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 26 May 09 12:49 BST (UK) »
Just out of interest, what's GRONI's beef with using info provided by LDS? 

If the reduced rate is meant to reflect reduced labour on their part, then what difference does it make where the information came from?

Offline Bhoy

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 26 May 09 12:54 BST (UK) »
akanex2,

Re your summary above.  When talking about ordering by phone you make a comment about Belfast City Council.   Does that mean that you need to go to some other agency or that you can't get this phone service at all for Belfast events? 

I'm interested in a 1920 marriage in Belfast (Ardoyne).

Thanks.

Offline akanex2

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 26 May 09 14:50 BST (UK) »
I was told that Belfast City Council didn't provide the service several years ago (I think in GRONI - not sure), but never tried it as the same information is available online for £4 on the AncestryIreland.com site.

From speaking to staff at GRONI last time I was in, I was told they couldn't guarantee that the information had been transcribed correctly so was not as reliable as their own index.  They told me if I ordered using LDS Pilot site references, I would have to pay whether they found the certificate or not - hardly a huge risk I would have thought ???

While there I asked if they offered the same service by phone which was available in the search room (i.e. getting the details from the register without buying a certificate, which costs £3 if you are there in person doing an index search).  The guy on the desk told me that a caller quoting  name, district, year, (quarter), volume and page number could have a "transcription" of the entry posted to them for £6.  This is not a certified "Certificate" but contains all the same details - equivalent to the €4 "research copy" offered by GROI Roscommon, but payable by telephone.

I've only done this once as I've managed to get £6 certificates when required, but if you are having problems getting a cert, just ask for a "transcription" instead.  They are probably inundated with cheap certificate requests as more people get to know about the pilot site, so may be tightening up on their rules in line with the online policy noted by mr-aitch below.

Offline akanex2

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Re: Ordering Certificates for NI counties
« Reply #8 on: Friday 29 May 09 13:31 BST (UK) »
See this other thread for problems people have had with ordering from GRONI

http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,383461.0.html