You can order birth, adoption, marriage, civil partnership and death certificates from the General Register Office (GRO) to help you research your family history and family tree.
GRO has all the records registered in England and Wales from July 1837. You’ll need to look at parish records to trace back further.
It also has some other records, starting at a later date, for example for civil partnerships and adopted children. You can check which records are held by the GRO.
There’s a different process for getting certificates in Scotland and Northern Ireland.