How it works
Apply-Assist is an independent private service that helps applicants to prepare and submit their civil certificate requests accurately. We charge a fixed total of £60 for civil certificates, and £90 for the commemorative wedding anniversary certificate (government fee and applicable taxes already included) for our administrative and assistance service, providing individualized support for each application to ensure that the process is carried out properly. Here is exactly what happens, and what it costs.
Done in 3 simple steps
Fill the form online
Answer simple questions in about 5 minutes. We only ask for what the register office needs to find the record.
We review, prepare & submit
With your authorisation, our team checks every detail, prepares your application and submits it to the correct register office, paying the official fee at cost.
You get your certificate
The register office issues the certificate and sends it straight to your address.
How long does it take?
An application has three stages, and only the first two are in our hands.
Your part: about 5 minutes
The time it takes to complete the online form. Nothing to print, post or sign.
Our part: as soon as your details check out
We check your answers, prepare the application, pay the official fee on your behalf and submit it to the correct register office. If something does not add up, we email you before submitting rather than letting the application fail.
The register office’s part: set by them, not by us
Once submitted, they locate the entry, issue the certificate and post it to your address. Each office publishes its own current processing times on its official website, and those times change through the year.
What can make an application take longer
Most applications are straightforward. These are the situations that tend to add time.
Older records
Entries from many decades ago are not always indexed in the same way, so the register office may need to carry out a manual search before it can issue the certificate.
Details that do not match
A misspelt surname or a date that is a year out means the entry cannot be matched. This is the most common cause of delay, which is why we check your answers before submitting.
Where the record is held
Some entries sit with a local register office rather than centrally. Those offices work to their own timescales, which can differ from the national service.
Post and busy periods
The certificate arrives by post, so delivery time is added on top. Register offices also see peaks in demand at certain times of year.
Being straight with you about timescales
We are a private service, not a government body, and we have no influence over how quickly a register office works. We cannot guarantee, prioritise or speed up their processing times, and nobody who charges you a fee can. What we can do is submit a clean, complete application, so nothing is delayed at our end.
- We email you when your application has been submitted.
- If the register office comes back asking for more information, we contact you straight away and handle the reply.
For the current processing times, check the official website of the relevant register office before you order. You can also apply to them directly, usually for less than our total price.
What you pay
A flat £60 that covers both the official fee (charged by the register office, passed on to you at cost) and our service fee for doing the work. The same certificate can be ordered directly from the official service, usually for less.