Registrars

The Registrars Service is responsible for the registration of births, civil marriages, civil partnerships, deaths and the conducting of citizenship ceremonies.

All births and deaths within the Royal Borough of Greenwich must be registered with the Greenwich Registrars Service, and the Registrars Service is legally required to register births and deaths under the Registration Service Act 1953. As such, the Council’s lawful basis for processing personal data for these purposes is Legal Obligation.

All civil weddings and civil partnerships within the Royal Borough of Greenwich must be carried out under the authorisation and supervision of the Greenwich Registrars Service, and the Registrars Service is legally required to carry out the statutory processes in respect of civil weddings and civil partnerships, including the necessary checks to determine if individuals are able to marry or enter into a civil partnership, in line with the Marriage Act 1949 and the Civil Partnership Act 2004. As such, the Council’s lawful basis for processing personal data for these purposes is Legal Obligation.

We collect only the information required by law or necessary to deliver registration services. This may include:

• identity details - name, previous names, date and place of birth, sex, nationality, proof-of-identity documents
• contact information - address, email, telephone number
• statutory registration information - details required to register a birth, death, marriage, or civil partnership
• legal documentation - certificates, notices, declarations, immigration documents
• medical and cause-of-death information - medical certificates, coroner’s reports
• ceremony and venue information - ceremony bookings, witness names, venue details
• payment and transaction records - statutory fees, receipts, booking payments
• correspondence and enquiries - emails, forms, appointment notes
• criminality and immigration checks — information required for Home Office referrals or sham-marriage investigations
• third-party information — information provided by parents, partners, coroners, medical practitioners or legal representatives

Your information is shared only where the law permits or requires it, and only with organisations or individuals who need it to carry out statutory registration functions or related public duties.

Internal sharing (within the local authority)

• Registration Service staff — authorised registrars and administrative staff who process registrations, issue certificates, and manage appointments
• Legal services — for advice on statutory duties, corrections, or legal notices
• Safeguarding teams — where information indicates a risk to a child or vulnerable adult, in line with statutory safeguarding obligations
• Public health teams — for monitoring mortality trends or responding to public health concerns
• Finance teams — for processing statutory fees, payments, and financial audits
• Data protection and information governance teams — for compliance, audits, and responding to data protection requests

External sharing (with other organisations)

• General Register Office (GRO) — for maintaining national registration records, statutory reporting, and certificate production
• Home Office — including Immigration Enforcement, for marriage or civil partnership referrals, sham-marriage investigations, and immigration checks
• Coroners — for deaths requiring investigation or where medical information must be verified
• Medical practitioners — for verifying cause-of-death information or clarifying medical certificates
• Approved venues — for ceremony arrangements, witness details, and legal requirements
• Law enforcement agencies — where required for crime prevention, detection, or legal investigations
• Courts and tribunals — when ordered to provide statutory register information or evidence
• Other local authorities — for cross-boundary registrations, corrections, or ceremony arrangements
• Foreign authorities — where necessary for overseas marriage, civil partnership, or citizenship processes, with appropriate safeguards
• Funeral directors — limited information to support lawful arrangements following a death
• Statutory bodies — such as HM Passport Office, HMRC, or DWP, where legislation requires notification or verification

Sharing of register information

• Certified copies of register entries — anyone may apply for a certificate, as register entries are public records under registration law
• Index information — may be shared with GRO or other authorised bodies for national record-keeping

No sharing for marketing or commercial purposes

• No marketing use — your information is never sold or shared for advertising or commercial profiling

By law, the Registrars Service is required to retain information about births, civil marriages, civil partnerships and deaths permanently. As such this information cannot be deleted and is retained indefinitely.