* Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

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Simonides
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Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by Simonides »

I understand from https://www.gro.gov.uk/gro/content/cert ... es/CG5.pdf that it's possible to order certificates as PDFs with the benefits of getting them a) more cheaply and b) more quickly, however, when attempting to order a certificate at https://www.gro.gov.uk I only see postal options:

Service Options
Please choose the item type, service and delivery method you require
- Standard - £11.00, despatched on the 4th working day from receipt of order.
- Priority - £35.00, despatched next working day from receipt of order.

Has the PDF service been suspended or am I missing something?

Thanks
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tatewise
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by tatewise »

Yes, it is still possible under certain conditions, as it says at the top of the ordering page:
"PDF copies of the entry are only available for the digitised entries for the years 1837-1957 and where a GRO ref is supplied".

I have just signed in to GRO and chosen England or Wales, a Death event, the Year and I know GRO Ref.
Then scrolling down past the Standard and Priority ordering you eventually get to the PDF £7 ordering.
I suspect you have not scrolled down far enough.
Mike Tate ~ researching the Tate and Scott family history ~ tatewise ancestry
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David2416
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by David2416 »

Yes, within limits. I usually check the reference by doing an online search. A button appears allowing you to order a pdf. I've ordered several in the last few weeks. They take about a week to be ready to download.
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Simonides
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by Simonides »

thanks, Mike and David! That's very helpful as I now understand that the reason there's no pdf option is that the death for which I wanted to order a certificate was in 1960 and so outside the range 1837-1957.
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Mark1834
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by Mark1834 »

But please bear in mind that the GRO requests that non-essential requests be deferred due to Covid 19 staffing restrictions. Hobby users should hold off for the moment, so they can concentrate on folk who genuinely need a certificate now.

My pending shopping basket is growing all the time... 🙂
Mark Draper
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paulr1949
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by paulr1949 »

I have just ordered 5 in 2 batches, 3 on 4th which took 2 days and 2 on 6th which took 3 (arriving on Sunday last) which I think is very impressive service.
Paul
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Mark1834
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by Mark1834 »

Interesting- that strongly suggests most hobby users are heeding advice to defer, but one consequence of that public-spirited action is that those who don’t get a very good service...

The GRO are probably caught between a rock and a hard place - if they are readily coping with the current reduced demand, updating their service advice might well open the floodgates to five months of pending orders.
Mark Draper
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paulr1949
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by paulr1949 »

Precisely. I have waited for about 3 months before making this order :o
I don't know what physical process is involved in producing a pdf from the digital database, but presumably they can do much/all of it remotely.
Paul
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Mark1834
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Re: Is it still possible to order a death certificate as a PDF??

Post by Mark1834 »

Paul - There was a project to digitise all the GRO records that was outsourced to Siemens in 2005 and planned to take 3 years. However, by 2008 only births up until 1934 and deaths up until 1957 had been completed (no marriages at all). The project was then abandoned as part of the financial crash spending cuts.

My assumption is that these records form the basis of the current GRO on-line search facility, and PDF production is an all-electronic process. I've no idea whether the IT systems allow this to be done remotely or not but the fact that you received notice of PDF availability on a Sunday suggests that they are at least embracing flexible working.

As far as I am aware, the remaining records have still not been digitised, but I don't know if they are scanned on demand when somebody requests a paper certificate (which clearly has to be done centrally), or they just print from a microfilm copy of the original register.

Does anybody know of a source describing the current process? I've looked but can't find anything.
Mark Draper
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