Corrections to a birth, death or marriage certificate

If you have noticed an error on a birth, death or marriage certificate, which was registered in the London Borough of Enfield, you may be able to apply for a correction by following the guidance on this page.

If you would like to change your child’s name because you have changed your mind about their forenames since registration, see changing a child’s name.

Applying for a correction

To apply for a correction, follow the steps below:

1. Complete the relevant application form on GOV.UK for a birth correction, marriage / civil partnership correction, or death correction
2. When completing the form, read the guidance notes that come with it, which explain how to complete the form and which documents are required
3. Email the completed form to register.office@enfield.gov.uk, along with document evidence showing what the correct information should be. The document evidence must be certified by a professional person. See a list of who can certify a document.

Fees

After submitting your application, a registrar will check the application form and documents. They will then call you to discuss and take payment over the phone.

The fee for a correction is £75 or £90, depending on which type of correction you need. The £75 fee is charged for simpler corrections that don’t need a referral to the General Register Office, such as an occupation or place of birth. For more complex corrections that do need a referral, such as a name, the cost is £90. The registrar will decide what type of correction is required.

If approved, the cost of a new certificate is £11.

Timescales

It can take between two weeks to three months to process a correction, depending on the complexity of it and the quality of the document evidence. If the General Register Office require more documents, then that will prolong your case.

How your application is processed

If your application form and documents are approved by the registrar, they will either submit it to head office for processing or, if no referral is needed, book an appointment for you to attend the correction appointment.

If the General Register Office require further documentation, they will get in touch with you by phone, email or letter – whichever option you selected on the application form - and let you know how to submit the extra documents.

Applying for new certificates

If the correction is authorised, the General Register Office will contact you, and advise you on when to apply for new certificates with the Register Office – they usually advise that you wait at least ten working days before contacting the office.

You can contact the office by emailing register.office@enfield.gov.uk or calling 020 8379 8525. New certificates cost £11 each, and you should return the old ones to the office.

When you receive a new certificate, the information won’t have changed within the body of the entry, but will appear at the bottom as a marginal note. For example, ‘error in space 2 corrected to X on 13 November 2020 by the Deputy Superintendent Registrar’.