Order marriage certificates
Certificate Ordering
Birth, death and marriage registers for the Hastings, Eastbourne and Lewes areas (1837–2008) are currently undergoing essential preservation work to safeguard them for future generations.
Certificates from these registers can still be ordered from the General Register Office (GRO):
Order a birth, death, marriage or civil partnership certificate - GOV.UK
This does not affect:
- registers from 2009 to present day
- registers for the Crowborough registration district
- marriage registers at places of worship
If we cannot fulfil your certificate order, we will notify you and provide a full refund.
Civil marriages
Civil marriages are those that take place in register offices or other non-religious venues.
You can order copies of certificates for marriages which happened in East Sussex, as shown in the map. This excludes Brighton & Hove, West Sussex and elsewhere.
All certificates issued are certified copies of the original register entry and are accepted for official purposes.
If the marriage was registered in another local authority area you can order certificates here:
Certificates are only available after the marriage has been registered.
Before you order
Check the event was registered in East Sussex.
Make sure you have the full names and approximate date of the event.
If you need the certificate urgently, use the Priority Service.
Certificates are sent to the cardholder's billing address.
Processing times do not include Royal Mail delivery. Delivery times can vary and are outside our control.
| Service level | What is included | Total price |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Service | Order processed within 24 hours Monday to Friday (excluding weekends and bank holidays). Certificate sent via 1st class post on the next working day. | £38.50 |
| Statutory Service | Order processed within 15 working days. Certificate sent via 2nd class post on the 15th working day. | £12.50 |
Good to know
Please keep your order reference as you will need to quote it if there is a problem with your order.
Email us at registrar@eastsussex.gov.uk or call us on 0345 60 80 198 if something goes wrong.
Your personal details are protected when using our online forms. Read our privacy statement and our privacy notice.
Religious marriages
You can order copies of certificates for marriages which happened in East Sussex, as shown in the map. This excludes Brighton & Hove, West Sussex and elsewhere.
All certificates issued are certified copies of the original register entry and are accepted for official purposes.
If the marriage was registered in another local authority area you can order certificates here:
Order in advance
If you order your certificates from us before your marriage schedule has been returned to the register office, you should choose the standard £12.50 certificate fee.
Your certificates will be issued up to 7 days after your marriage schedule has been returned.
Choosing the higher fee will not speed this process up.
Order after your wedding
If you order after your schedule has been returned or if your marriage was registered in an old-style register book (marriages which took place before 4 May 2021), you can choose either service level as appropriate.
Before you order
Check the event was registered in East Sussex.
Make sure you have the full names and approximate date of the event.
If you need the certificate urgently, use the Priority Service.
Certificates are sent to the cardholder's billing address.
Processing times do not include Royal Mail delivery. Delivery times can vary and are outside our control.
| Service level | What is included | Total price |
|---|---|---|
| Priority Service | Not available for advance orders. Order processed within 24 hours Monday to Friday (excluding weekends and bank holidays). Certificate sent via 1st class post on the next working day. | £38.50 |
| Statutory service | For advance orders, certificate sent via 2nd class post within 7 working days of the marriage schedule being returned to the register office. For all other orders, certificate sent via 2nd class post on the 15th working day after placing your order. | £12.50 |
Good to know
Please keep your order reference as you will need to quote it if there is a problem with your order.
Email us at registrar@eastsussex.gov.uk or call us on 0345 60 80 198 if something goes wrong.
Your personal details are protected when using our online forms. Read our privacy statement and our privacy notice.