Search British Armed Forces and overseas births and baptisms

With each result, you will be given a transcript with the vital details recorded from the original source. Many results will also give you an image of the original record. The amount of detail in each transcript will depend on the original record. Below is a list of facts that you may find in the records:

• Name
• Year
• Birth date
• Baptism date
• Birth place
• Place
• County
• Country
• Father’s name
• Mother’s name
• Organisation
• Father’s occupation
• Archive
• Source
• Document type
• Record year range
• Page
• Archive reference

The British armed forces and overseas births and baptisms pulls together records from the General Register Office (GRO) and The National Archive (TNA) to create one expansive collection. Below we have provided a full list of sources including the archive and series information. Within the collection, you will find birth records from families of military personnel, British Consul staff, and British nationals working overseas, as well as, individuals born at sea. The details found in the GRO indexes will allow you to purchase the original certificate from the General Register Office.

If you have a relative or ancestor who was born overseas but was still classed as a British citizen at the time of the birth, then it is quite possible that the British Consul or the UK High Commission in the relevant jurisdiction would have been notified of the birth, allowing you to find the record within the General Register Office Consular indices.

The armed forces records include the registrations of British armed forces (including serving members who were not British nationals) posted overseas. This index also includes some regimental registers and chaplains' returns for army births which took place in the British Isles, for example, at barracks and garrisons.

The records include births of the children of passengers, seamen, and Royal Marines, of both British and other nationalities. Some of the records contain notes about conditions surrounding the birth, such as premature confinement, if the child was stillborn, or if the mother was unmarried.

Most of the records found in this collection were previously available as separate record sets on Findmypast as British nationals born overseas 1818-2005, British nationals armed forces births 1761-2005, and Births at sea, 1854-1960. We have combined the various record sets and added additional records from The National Archives to create this extensive collection.

The sources are organised in alphabetical order by the repository and archive reference.

General Register Office

BT 158 - Registers of the births of passengers between 1854 and 1890

ABR1 - GRO Births Abroad Indices (1966 to 1978)

ABR1 - GRO Births Abroad Indices (1966 to 1978)

ABR2 - GRO Births Abroad Indices (1979 to 1994)

ABR2 - GRO Births Abroad Indices (1979 to 1994)

AIRB - GRO Air Births Indices (1947-1965)

BARM - GRO Army Birth Indices (1881 to 1965)

BCHA - GRO Army Chaplains Birth Indices (1796 to 1880)

BCON - GRO Consular Birth Indices (1849 to 1965)

BINC - GRO Ionian Islands Chaplains Returns Births (1818-1864)

BINM - GRO Ionian Islands Military Registration Births (1818-1864)

IONR - GRO Ionian Islands Civil Registration Births (1818-1864)

BMR1 - GRO Marine Births Indices (Informal Certs 1-41)

BMR2 - GRO Marine Births Indices (1837 to 1965)

REG1 - GRO Regimental Birth Indices (1761 to 1924)

REG2 - GRO Regimental Birth Indices Supplement (1761 to 1924)

BUK1 - GRO U.K. High Commission Birth Indices (PRE 1956)

BUK2 - GRO U.K. High Commission Birth Indices (up to 1981)

B1995ONWARDS - GRO Births Abroad Indices (1995 to 2005)

The National Archive

ADM 183 - Births from the Chatham Division of the Royal Marines 1830 - 1913

BT 334 - Births of British and foreign passengers and seamen between 1891 and 1972.

CUST 67 - Births at sea, Falmouth 1892 - 1918

ADM 193/9 - Royal Marine Artillery Division, Portsmouth, marriage & baptism register

ADM 305/86 - Haslar Royal Naval Hospital baptism register

ADM 338/142 - Royal Marines Depot, Walmer, Kent: baptism register

ADM 6/432 - Sheerness town & garrison, Kent: baptism register

ADM 7/1 - Miscellaneous Navy birth, marriage & death certificates

ADM 81/25 - Royal Marines, Woolwich Division, baptism register

BT 150/1 - Registers of Births at Sea of British Nationals: England

BT 150/2 - Registers of Births at Sea of British Nationals: England

BT 150/3 - Registers of Births at Sea of British Nationals: Ireland

BT 150/4 - Registers of Births at Sea of British Nationals: Ireland

BT 150/5 - Registers of Births at Sea of British Nationals: Scotland

BT 150/6 - Registers of Births at Sea of British Nationals: Scotland

BT 158/1 - Registers of births, deaths & marriages of passengers at sea

BT 158/2 - Registers of births, deaths & marriages of passengers at sea

BT 158/3 - Registers of births, deaths & marriages of passengers at sea

BT 158/4 - Registers of births, deaths & marriages of passengers at sea

BT 158/5 - Registers of births & deaths of passengers at sea

BT 26/66/85 - SS Galicia travelling from Valparaiso to Liverpool. Embarking at Valparaiso, Montevideo, & Rio de Janeiro. Official Number: 69249. List of passengers disembarking at Liverpool. [Passengers included one female child born during the voyage. Nationality: Spanish. No date of birth given].

BT 26/71/39 - SS Pennland travelling from Philadelphia to Liverpool. Embarking at Philadelphia. Official Number: [No official number listed]. List of passengers disembarking at Queenstown & Liverpool. [Passengers included one child that died during the voyage]. [Passengers included one female that was born during the voyage. Nationality: British. No date of birth given].

BT 85/74/65 - SS India (British India Steam Navigation Company Ltd) travelling from Brisbane to London. Embarking at Brisbane, Rockhampton, Townsville, Cairns, Cooktown & Aden. Official Number: 85861. List of passengers disembarking at Plymouth & London. [Passengers included one male child born during the voyage. Nationality: British. No date of birth given ]. [Passengers included two individuals that died during the voyage].

FO 292/2 - Legation Dresden, Saxony: birth register

FO 292/3 - Legation Dresden, Saxony: birth register

FO 375/1 - Consulates Luanda & Sao Tome, Portuguese West Africa: birth register

FO 376/1 - Consulate Aux Cayes, Haiti: birth register

FO 377/3 - Consulate Riga, Russian empire: birth register

FO 531/2 - Consulate Porsgrund, Norway: birth register

FO 559/1 - Consulate Ponta Delgada, Portugal: Register of deaths, births, marriages & burials

FO 560/1- Bushire, Iran: register of Births, Baptisms, Marriages & Deaths

FO 564/13 - Legation Peking, China: birth register

FO 581/15 - Legation New Orleans, USA: birth register

FO 585/1 - Consulate Bremen & Bremerhaven, Germany: birth register

FO 604/1 - District of Dusseldorf consulate: birth register

FO 604/8 - Christ Church, Dusseldorf: baptism register

FO 617/3 - Consulate Jerusalem, Ottoman Empire: birth register

FO 625/2 - Consulate & Embassy Bucharest, Romania: birth register

FO 625/5 - British Chaplaincy on the Lower Danube: baptism register

FO 663/85 - Consulate Amoy, China: birth register

FO 665/3 - Consulate Foochow, China: birth register

FO 670/2 - Consulate Ningpo, China: birth register

FO 672/1 - Consulate Shanghai, China: birth register

FO 673/9 - Consulate Ningpo, China: birth register

FO 687/23 - Consulate Papeete, French Polynesia: birth register

FO 687/5 - Consulate Papeete, French Polynesia: birth, marriage & death register

FO 700/23 - United States various consulates: birth register

FO 710/1 - Consulate Tananarive & Embassy, Malagasy Republic: birth register

FO 712/1-2 - Consulate Dieppe, France: birth register

FO 716/1 - Embassy & consulate Darmstadt, Germany (formerly Hesse): birth register

FO 723/1 - Embassy & legation Mexico City: birth register

FO 743/11 - Embassy & Legation, Rio de Janiero, Brazil: birth register

FO 818/15 - Consulate Gothenburg, Sweden: baptism register

FO 83/1493 - Marriages abroad, miscellaneous

FO 83/1495 - Marriages abroad, A-F

FO 83/1582 - Marriages abroad, A-G

FO 83/1583 - Marriages abroad, I-Z

FO 83/1645 - Marriages abroad, A-J

FO 83/1705 - Marriages abroad, A-M

FO 83/1815 - Marriages abroad, A-G

FO 83/1926 - Marriages abroad, A-F

FO 83/1966 - Marriages abroad, A-F

FO 83/1967 - Marriages abroad, G-Z

FO 83/2061 - Marriages abroad, A-F

FO 83/2062 - Marriages abroad, G-Z

FO 866/14 - Legation & consulate, Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Registers of births, deaths & marriages

FO 886/1 - Embassy & consular Sulina: birth register

FO 887/1 - Consulate Kustendie, Ottoman Empire: birth register

FO 888/1 - Consulate Rustschuk, Ottoman Empire: birth register

FO 910/5 - Consulate Lausanne, Switzerland: death register

FO 97/504 - Marriages abroad

RG 32/40 - Miscellaneous Foreign Returns

RG 33/1 - Foreign Registers & returns: Belgium

RG 33/106 - Foreign Registers & returns: Indian sub-continent

RG 33/107, 110-112 - Foreign Registers & returns: Indian sub-continent

RG 33/117 -118 - Foreign Registers & returns: Italy

RG 33/122 - 123 - Foreign Registers & returns: Japan

RG 33/133 - Foreign Registers & Returns: Iraq

RG 33/142 - Foreign Registers & returns: Portugal

RG 33/144 - 152 - Foreign Registers & returns: Russia

RG 33/157 - Foreign Registers & returns: Indian sub-continent

RG 33/163 - Foreign Registers & returns: Cyprus

RG 33/34 - Foreign Registers & returns: China

RG 33/37-78 - Foreign Registers & returns: France

RG 33/79 – 81 - Foreign Registers & returns: Germany

RG 33/82 - Foreign Registers & returns: Greece

RG 33/83, 86, 89 - Foreign Registers & returns: Holland

RG 36/1 – 11, 13 - Registers & Returns of Births, Marriages & Deaths in the Protectorates of Africa & Asia. Africa, part 1

SP 110/70 - British factory at Aleppo, chaplain's register of baptisms, marriages & burials

WO 156/1 - Dover Castle Garrison, Kent: baptism register

WO 156/338 - Garrison Church, Devonport, Devon: baptism register

WO 156/340 - Royal Chapel of St Katherine-upon-the-Hoe within the Royal Citadel, Plymouth, Devon: baptism register

WO 156/345 – 346 - Camp Church, Colchester, Essex: baptism register

WO 156/347-348 - St Peter & St Paul (Royal Artillery), Shoeburyness, Essex: baptism register

WO 156/353-356 - Camp Church, Aldershot, Hampshire: baptism register

WO 156/357 – 359 - Garrison Church, Aldershot, Hampshire: baptism register

WO 156/365 - Iron Church (later St George), Aldershot, Hampshire: baptisms

WO 156/380 - Garrison Chapel, Portsmouth, Hampshire: baptism register

WO 156/381 – 382 - Royal Garrison Church, St George's Chapel, Portsmouth, Hampshire: baptism register

WO 156/398, 400-404 - Garrison Church, Canterbury, Kent: baptism register

WO 156/410 – 411 - Garrison Church, Shorncliffe, Kent: baptism register

WO 156/415 – 416 - Royal Military Chapel, St James's Park, London: baptism register

WO 156/419 - Military Chapel, Chelsea Barracks, London: baptism register

WO 156/425 – 427 - St George's Garrison Church, Woolwich, Kent: baptism register

WO 156/428 - Military Church, Woolwich Dockyard, Kent: baptism register

WO 156/429 – 431 - St George's Garrison Church, Woolwich, Kent: baptism register

WO 156/435 - Royal Artillery Chapel, Woolwich, Kent: baptism register

WO 156/450 - College Chapel Royal Military College, Sandhurst: Burials

WO 156/470 - Garrison Church, Fulford, Yorkshire: baptism register

WO 156/594 – 595 - Malta: baptisms & marriages

WO 156/596 – 598 - Garrison Church, Malta: baptism register

WO 32/8903 – 8905 - Birth & Baptismal Certificates of militia officers, extracted from destroyed papers.

WO 32/8906-8910 - Certificates of births & baptisms of militia officers

WO 32/8911-8915 - Certificates of births & baptisms, extracted from old papers

WO 69/63-64 - Register of Marriages & Baptisms, A Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

WO 69/65 - Register of Marriages & Baptisms, B Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

WO 69/66 - Register of Marriages & Baptisms, K Battery B Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

WO 69/70 - Register of Marriages & Baptisms, Royal Horse Artillery

WO 69/71 - Register of Marriages & Baptisms, C Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

WO 69/73 - Register of Marriages & Baptisms, E Brigade, Royal Horse Artillery

UK Genealogy Archives

Sarawak Baptisms, 1844-1925