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Area registration service

Registration services

Please do not visit a registration office unless you have an appointment.  Our registration service operates an appointment-based system during office hours of:

  • Monday to Thursday 8.45am to 4.45pm
  • Friday 8.45am to 4pm

To make an appointment or enquiry, contact your local office below by telephone or email:

Please note that the telephone enquiry line is available from 10am to 12 noon and from 2pm to 4pm.

Our registration service operates an Out of Hours Emergency Service, for example, where the deceased has to be taken out of the country, and can be contacted on 07985330371.

Registration services are still in high demand and certain parts of our business have been prioritised due to statutory timescales. 

Our first priority is the registration of deaths that are being completed remotely by telephone. Birth and marriage enquiries should be directed to the appropriate office by either telephone or email.

Copy certificates can only be purchased by telephone or email. 

Once we receive the appropriate information and payment has been made the certificates will be posted. The current timescale for producing certificates is 10 working days. 

Please note - there is no priority service for copy certificates.

The core function of our registration offices is to provide the following statutory services on behalf of the Registrar General for Scotland:

  • the registration of births, deaths and marriages
  • the performance of civil marriages and civil partnerships
  • the provision of advice and guidance on registration matters

We also offer Renewal Ceremonies and Naming Ceremonies.

In addition, on behalf of the Education Authority, we administer the Employment of Children bylaws.

Joint working arrangements
Association of Registrars Meets three times each year to discuss current and future issues affecting registration.
Tell Us Once When someone has died we can help you tell the people who need to know. There are lots of things that need to be done, at a time when you probably least feel like doing them. One of these is contacting the government departments and local council services that need to be told. We provide a service which will make things easier. We will provide you with a unique reference number and you can complete the process by either using a freephone number or an online request.
National Records of Scotland We work with the National Records of Scotland to ensure all Registration legislation is implemented. We participate in working groups established by the Registrar General to discuss and plan for the implementation of new legislation.
Home Office We liaise with the Home Office to ensure all necessary arrangements are in place for Citizenship Ceremonies.
Hospitals We liaise with NHS doctors to minimise errors on death certificates. We supply local hospitals with envelopes containing information on how to register a death in Scotland.
Hotels We liaise with hotel managers and staff to ensure arrangements are in place for the conduct of ceremonies in approved places.
Police Scotland We ensure local Police Stations have contact telephone numbers for emergency registrations
Registration Networking Group We meet quarterly with representatives of Registration services throughout Scotland to share best practice and participate in benchmarking exercises.
Undertakers We ensure local undertakers have telephone numbers for emergency registrations.

Our standards

We will:

  • explain clearly the services we provide
  • set high standards for our work
  • tell you what the standards are and how we perform against the standards
  • ensure the information you give to us will be treated in the strictest confidence. You can be assured that it will not be passed to anyone who is not entitled by law to receive it
  • aim to treat you the way we like to be treated - fairly and sensitively
  • interview you in private when registering births, deaths, and marriages
  • will clearly state our fees, and there will be no hidden charges
  • will listen when you tell us about problems and sort these if they are under our control

Page last updated:
17 Feb 2023

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