About six years ago I was asked by a friend to apply for his birth certificate on his behalf when I made my next visit to St Catherines House. He had been born (in 1963) illegitimate and his mother had refused to tell him his fathers identity. He had never seen a full version of his birth certificate and thought that his father's name would be registered on it (unfortunately it wasn't). Upon presenting the application, a floor supervisor ushered me into a small room where I was interrogated for quite some time as to the reason for the application. My explanation was eventually accepted and the certificate arrived in the post a week later. On the other hand, I have made successful applications for birth certificates of my parents, aunts and uncles (all born between 1918 and 1930) without any problems and two out of the total of six are still alive. It is however, rather different if you do not know the person who's certificate you are applying for and you might find yourself in the embarrassing situation of giving them an unsuitable reason for the application!! Regards, Trevor Littleton