British subjects residing in foreign countries would usually record births, marriages and deaths in local church registers or with the civil authorities. However, they could also inform the British consulate or embassy.

In 1816 a Foreign Office circular instruction embassies and consuls to 'keep an authentic and complete record of marriages celebrated in His Majesties residences and Foreign Courts'. The returns, which also included births and deaths, were to be sent to the London Registry of the Bishop of London who had set up a separate register for such returns. This register, known as 'International Memoranda' is now with the Guildhall Library, Aldermanbury, London EC1R 1UW.

From 1849, under the 1848 Consular Marriages Act, consular staff were to register marriages of British subjects in two duplicate registers. One was to be sent to the General Register Office and is held by the Office of National Statistics. The second one was to be kept by the consul and some were returned to the Foreign Office - these may have then been transferred to the National Archives and are to be found in the consular archives series.

In November 1849 the Foreign Office issued instructions to the consul to register births and deaths; this instruction was extended to legations in 1859. The legations and consuls were to keep a register for recording births and deaths and to submit annually certified copies of entries to the General Register Office. Some registers were returned to the Foreign Office and are to be found in consular archives series.

The duplicate marriage registers and certified copies of births and deaths held by the Office for National Statistics are indexed.

The National Archives also holds miscellaneous non-statutory foreign returns of births, marriages and deaths for the period, 1627-69 in RG 32 to RG 35 (indexed by RG 43). These registers were originally held by the General Register Office and include correspondence, certificates issued by foreign governments and churches; copies of entries kept by British embassies, English churches and chaplains; and documents sent by individuals for safekeeping.

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