Go to GRONI online
Search the 'General Register Office Northern Ireland' (GRONI) records online by following the green link.
Before you start
GRONI is often asked 'Why can’t I find my birth record online?' The answer is that only Northern Ireland historic registration records are available to search online. The records available are:
- birth records over 100 years old
- marriage records over 75 years old
- death records (including World War II death records) over 50 years old
You cannot find civil partnership and more recent birth, death and marriage records online however, if you want to search or view these, you can book an appointment at GRONI's Public Search Room in Belfast or, if you know the details, you can apply online for certificates via the green link below.
You can find out how any personal information you send to GRONI when using this service will be handled by viewing their privacy notice.
Free name search
You don’t need to register or log in to use the free name search via the green link below. This search will return the number of records that match in each of the registration types which are birth, death or marriage. You may search a five year range for example 1868 to 1872 if you don’t know the exact year.
If you want to carry out further searches of the records and see the details, you must first register for a GRONI account. Once you've registered, you'll then need to buy credits. You can buy credits when you're logged in. Follow the green link below to login.
Additional information
If you want to buy credits and search the GRONI registration records, you must first register for an account.
You'll need:
- an email address
- to create a password
- to think up a secret question and answer
- to provide your name and address
Passwords
It is important to remember that the password must have at least eight characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one special character for example an exclamation mark, asterisk and so on - example, Anyperson123!
These will be your registered details and you should keep a careful note of them as you will need to enter these details when you log in to search GRONI records (either in the GRONI Public Search Room or at home on your own computer device).
For password resets when the secret answer is unknown, contact the General Register Office by email on gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk The email must come from the email address linked to the account.
Once you’ve registered for a GRONI account, you can buy credits to search GRONI records via the above green link.
If your email address that you registered with changes, you'll need to:
- register for a GRONI account again - to do this you'll need your new email address - once that's done
- contact GRONI and let them know that you have a new account and the reason why so that they can disable your account with the old email address and transfer any credits to your new account (credits that are unused for a period of 24 consecutive calendar months, will be lost)
Credits
Once logged in, you can buy a single or a number of credits using your debit or credit card. A credit costs £0.50 and you must have a minimum of one credit to search the records. You can hold up to a maximum of 200 credits.
There are no refunds for credits therefore make sure that you enter the right amount of credits you want to buy. If you're unhappy with the quality of the information you viewed, for example a faded picture that's hard to see, contact GRONI.
You cannot buy certificates using credits. Certificates must be bought using a credit or debit card via the above green link. Cash can be used if you're in the GRONI Public Search Room.
Fees
| Description | Cost |
|---|---|
| Name search | Free |
| Credits | £0.50 each |
| Basic index search | Free (but you must have bought at least one credit) |
| Enhanced index search | One credit (£0.50) |
| View full registration details (image or data) | Five credits (£2.50) |
Although the basic index search is free of charge, you must have at least one credit on your account to be able to search GRONI records via the above green link.
The information you can expect to see from a basic, enhanced or full view search can be seen at the link below:
If you do not use or top up credits for a period of 24 consecutive calendar months, your account will be closed. Any unused credits will be lost. You will get reminders by email before your account is closed. If you use credits or top up your account it will stay open for another 24 calendar months from this date.
GRONI's online search results
A search will show the number of matches which satisfy your search criteria. You have the option to view the first page of ten basic index results for free. When you view enhanced or full view you will use your credits.
Note that all search results (basic, enhanced, full) will be stored in the 'features facility' for a period of 72 hours. If you've already searched a record and want to look at it again, you should use this facility. If you search again you will need credits for the enhanced index or full view.
If you have already registered, you can go to GRONI online via the above green link.