In November 2009, the Health Service Executive (HSE) launched www.certificates.ie; this service allows citizens to purchase birth, marriage and death certificates online, using a secure payment facility.

The registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages are public records, and where sufficient relevant information is given by the applicant, a copy of a certificate can be purchased for a statutory fee. The information required varies according to the type of certificates applied for, but anyone who provides this information can buy anyone else's certificate.

Applicants will thus be asked to confirm online certain details of the life event they wish to get a certificate for as well as their name and address for delivery, and to enter their card details for payment.

To ensure the security of the applicants' credit or Laser card information when they pay using this site, the HSE uses Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology. Laser and credit card information is not retained on Certificate.ie, rather it is securely transferred to a Secure Data Processor.

Each certificate costs €8, with a fee of €2 for searching. An additional certificate for the same record costs €8.  There is an additional fee of €1 for postage within the Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom and €2 for postage elsewhere.

Background information

The Civil Registration Service (CRS) maintains all records of births, deaths and marriages in the Irish state. The Civil Registration Service is part of the Health Service Executive and was previously known as Births, Deaths and Marriages.

 

Further information: 

• Official press release - Citizens Information
• Certificates.ie website