In the UK there are two formats of birth certificates. Officially these are known as 'Short' and 'Long' birth certificates. Long birth certificates are also often referred to as 'Full' or 'A4' certificates. Whilst both are issued by one of the UK government Register Offices, over the past few years changes to government policy has devalued the Short certificate in an attempt to reduce the employment of illegal immigrants. Long certificates are also essential when applying for ancestral visas to establish parentage for entitlement to residency.
What is the difference between Short and Long certificates?
The main difference between the two certificate types is that the Long certificate shows the named parents for the child at birth. The Long certificate also shows the exact place of birth (and not just the district), the occupation of the father (and more recently the occupation of the father) and also the address of the person registering the birth.
Can I get a Long certificate if I only ever had a Short one?
When each birth is registered, a long version of the certificate is always archived both locally with the registrar and also centrally in the appropriate regional archive. As such, even if you were only ever provided with a Short certificate, it is possible to request a full version. Vital Certificates only ever issues Long certificates.
Why was I given a Short certificate and not a Long one?
When a birth is first registered, parents are issued with a free copy of the Short certificate whereas Long certificates are chargeable. We believe that the law should be changed since the Short certificate is almost never accepted for legal purposes any more.
