Tuesday 1st April 2008
As from today 1 April 2008, General Register Office (GRO) will become part of the Identity and Passport Service (IPS).
The GRO oversees registration services to members of the general public and its remit extends over a range of aspects relating to civil marriage preparation, celebration and registration and the registration of births, deaths, stillbirths and adoptions. You can find more information about them on their website
IPS is an Executive Agency of the Home Office, and is responsible for handling passport applications from UK Nationals and in the future, the issue of Identity Cards. It employs over 3,500 staff at various locations around the UK.
Both the Identity & Passport Service and the General Register Office work to safeguard people's identities and provide secure documentation to help people prove their identity or demonstrate significant life events.
As such IPS and the Home Office is the natural home for GRO. The move follows changes to make Office of National Statistics more independent of Government, which means ONS will no longer be responsible for the registration role it currently holds.
The decision to make the transfer of GRO to IPS was finalised following the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
24-hour Passport Adviceline: 0300 222 0000 (see terms and conditions) Calls made to 0300 numbers from landlines and mobile phones are charged to customers at their network provider's national rate. Live operators are available to assist with your enquiry 24 hours a day.
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