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What do you do once you've found your ancestor in a PRO index entry?

Once you have a complete index entry (name, year, quarter, district, volume, page), a copy of the actual birth/marriage/death certificate may be obtained in 2 ways:

• if you're in England, the cheapest & fastest way is to order the certificate from the local register office where it was recorded. The cost is £7 plus a stamped self-addressed envelope, and you actually don't need the volume/page number (they're meaningless at the local reg office). However, due to changes in registrations districts, sometimes the local office is unable to find a record, in which case proceed to the next step.
• if you're not in England or the local register office can't find the certificate, order the certificate from the Family Records Centre. The cost is £7 if you have the full reference (name, registration district, year, quarter, volume, and page number). They take credit cards, which makes overseas ordering simple. If you don't find your person in the index and therefore don't have the reference, they will search for you, but it costs a little more (see their Fees page; if ordering from overseas, go to the bottom and read "Postal Fees").

What information will you get on a certificate?

Besides the usual "when, who, & where" of the event, a birth registration usually includes the father's full name & occupation and mother's maiden name. A marriage registration usually includes ages, occupations, residences, the names & occupations of the fathers of the bride and groom, and 2 witnesses. A death registration usually includes the age, residence, occupation, and an informant's name.