Registrar of births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships

You can get into this job through:

• working towards this role
• applying directly

Work

You could start as a registration admin assistant or deputy registrar. With experience and on-the-job training, you could apply for a registrar position.

To apply for an assistant or deputy role, you'll usually need:

• to be at least 18 years of age
• GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths, or equivalent

You could also work your way up from a managerial role at a local council or by getting relevant experience with a commercial company.

Direct Application

To apply directly for registrar jobs, you'll need experience in management and handling budgets. It's useful to have knowledge of relevant legislation and legal processes. You'll also need excellent skills in customer service, public speaking and IT.

You might get this type of experience from working at managerial level in a registrar's department, a local council, or from being a manager in the private sector.

You must be over 21 to apply to be a registrar.

More Information

Career Tips

Each local council registration service sets its own entry requirements, so check with them for details of what you'll need.

Further Information

You can find out more about training and working as a registrar from the Local Registration Services Association.

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

• administration skills
• customer service skills
• excellent verbal communication skills
• knowledge of English language
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• active listening skills
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• legal knowledge including court procedures and government regulations
• to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

• be over 21 years of age

Doctors, midwives, ministers of religion, funeral directors and anyone working in the life assurance industry are not allowed to become registrars.

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

Day-to-day tasks

As a registrar, you could:

• complete paper and digital registration records
• check registration documents supplied by applicants
• issue certificates for births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships
• report suspected fraudulent registrations and certificate requests
• perform civil ceremonies for marriages, civil partnerships, and naming and citizenship events
• collect statistics to send to the General Register Office
• handle customer payments
• inform the coroner if there are any suspicious circumstances surrounding a death

Working environment

You could work in the community or in an office.

With experience, you could be promoted from assistant registrar to deputy registrar, then to registrar and superintendent.

Each local district has at least one superintendent registrar and deputy, and each sub-district has a registrar and deputy.