The Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees and Records) (Amendment) Regulations 2024

Citation, commencement, extent and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees and Records) (Amendment) Regulations 2024.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), these Regulations come into force on 28th May 2024.

(3) Regulation 6 comes into force on the day on which section 33A of the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953(1) comes into force, ignoring any commencement of that section only for the purpose of making regulations.

(4) These Regulations extend to England and Wales.

(5) In these Regulations, “the Fees Regulations” means the Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships (Fees) Regulations 2016(2).

Amendment of the Fees Regulations

2.  The Fees Regulations are amended in accordance with regulations 3 to 6.

Amendment of regulation 2 (interpretation)

3.  In regulation 2, in the definition of “relevant information”, after paragraph (f) insert—

“(g) in the case of a certified copy of an entry provided under regulation 23(2) of the Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Conversion of Civil Partnership) Regulations 2014(3), either a reference number relating to an index kept by the Registrar General under that regulation corresponding to the certified copy for which the application is made, or sufficient information which allows the Registrar General to establish such a reference number;

(h) in the case of a certified copy of an entry provided under regulation 24(2) of the Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Conversion of Civil Partnership) Regulations 2014, either a reference number relating to an index kept by the superintendent registrar under that regulation corresponding to the certified copy for which the application is made, or sufficient information which allows the superintendent registrar to establish such a reference number;

(i) in the case of a certified copy of an entry provided under regulation 13 or 18 of the Gender Recognition Register (Marriage and Civil Partnership) Regulations 2015(4), either a reference number relating to an index kept by the Registrar General under that regulation corresponding to the certified copy for which the application is made, or sufficient information which allows the Registrar General to establish such a reference number.”.

Amendment of regulations 3A to 3E

4.—(1) In regulation 3A (transmission of part of fees to Registrar General)—

(a) in paragraph (2)—

(i) in sub-paragraph (a), for “£58.00” substitute “£64.00”;

(ii) in sub-paragraph (b), for “£47.00” substitute “£52.00”;

(iii) in sub-paragraph (c), for “£40.00” substitute “£44.00”;

(b) in paragraph (5), in the definition of “category A fee”—

(i) in paragraph (c), for “37A,” substitute “37A;”;

(ii) after paragraph (c) insert—

“(d) the fee specified in column 3 of row 48A,”.

(2) In regulation 3B(1) (offline application fee), for “£4.00” substitute “£4.50”.

(3) In regulation 3C(1) (premium postal service fee)—

(a) in sub-paragraph (a), for “£7.25” substitute “£8.00”;

(b) in sub-paragraph (b), for “£19.25” substitute “£21.50”;

(c) in sub-paragraph (c), for “£12.00” substitute “£13.50”.

(4) In regulation 3D(1) (general index search fee (no reference provided)), for “£3.00” substitute “£3.50”.

(5) In regulation 3E(1) (retained fee), for “£3.50” substitute “£4.00”.

Amendment of Schedule 1 (fees payable)

5.—(1) Schedule 1 is amended as follows.

(2) In column 3 of the row in the table in Schedule 1 specified in column 1 of the table in the Schedule to these Regulations, for the fee specified in the corresponding entry in column 2 of that table (“the current fee”), substitute the fee specified in the corresponding entry in column 3 of that table (“the increased fee”).

(3) After row 48, insert—

“48A

The Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Conversion of Civil Partnership) Regulations 2014 regulation 28(c)

Correction of an entry in the conversion register, other than a correction relating to an error caused by the superintendent registrar when information was recorded in the register

£99.00

The superintendent registrar”

(4) For rows 51 and 52, substitute—

“51	The Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships Records Regulations 2016 regulations 2, 3 and 4(5)	(a) Where the entry is a copy of a record (in electronic format) which is held in a digital format—
		(i) a copy of a record, in electronic format, of information contained in the Registrar General’s certified copies of entries in the birth register, the death register and marriage register books and copies of entries in the conversion register, or in the entries in the marriage register	£8.00	The Registrar General
		(ii) a copy of a record, through the online view service, of information contained in the Registrar General’s certified copies of entries in the birth register, the death register and marriage register books	£3.00	The Registrar General”

Amendments introducing fees for the short certificate of death

6.—(1) In regulation 2, in the definition of “relevant information”—

(a) for paragraph (a), substitute—

“(a) in the case of a short certificate of birth provided under section 33(1) of the 1953 Act, any particulars prescribed to be furnished under that section of that Act;”;

(b) after paragraph (a) insert—

“(aa) in the case of a short certificate of death provided under section 33A(1) of the 1953 Act, any particulars prescribed to be furnished under that section of that Act;”.

(2) In the table in Schedule 1, after row 22 insert—

“22ZA	Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 section 33A(6)	(a) Standard service for a short certificate of death obtained from a registrar or superintendent registrar	£12.50	The registrar or superintendent registrar providing the certificate
		(b) Priority service for a short certificate of death obtained from a registrar or superintendent registrar	£38.50	The registrar or superintendent registrar providing the certificate
		(c) Standard service for a short certificate of death obtained from the Registrar General	£12.50	The Registrar General
		(d) Priority service for a short certificate of death obtained from the Registrar General	£38.50	The Registrar General”

Amendment of the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships Records Regulations 2016

7.—(1) The Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships Records Regulations 2016(7) are amended as follows.

(2) In regulation 1(2), omit the definitions of “expedited service”, “relevant hours”, “standard service” and “working day”.

(3) In each of regulations 2(2), 3(2) and 4(2), for the words from “must” to the end of the paragraph, substitute “must be made via the website for the General Register Office(8)”.

(4) Omit regulation 5.

Transitional provision

8.—(1) In this regulation—

“applicable fee” means the fee payable in respect of a relevant service;

“relevant service” means a service for which a fee is payable under Schedule 1 to the Fees Regulations.

(2) Where—

(a) a person applies for, or requests, a relevant service before 28th May 2024; or

(b) an applicable fee is payable in respect of anything a person did before 28th May 2024 which resulted in the relevant service being required or permitted to be provided,

the applicable fee is that which was payable immediately before 28th May 2024.

9.—(1) The amendments made by regulation 4(1)(a) do not apply where the relevant fee paid was the category A, category B or category C fee specified immediately before 28th May 2024.

(2) The amendment made by regulation 4(5) does not apply where the application for a certified copy was made before 28th May 2024.

(3) The substitution of row 51 in Schedule 1 to the Fees Regulations by regulation 5(4) does not apply where the request for any copy referred to in that row was made before 28th May 2024.

Tom Pursglove

Minister of State

Home Office

1st May 2024