Requesting a Birth Certificate

Where to Find a Birth Certificate

Each State, the District of Columbia, New York City, and US territories are required to have an office of Vital Statistics. These are maintained individually, but cooperate to provide health statistics for the federal government under the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Requesting a birth certificate copy can be done online, through a letter, or in person. In each case one will need to provide proper information and follow certain requirements. These requirements may vary across jurisdiction, so it is important to find the website of the office under which the application will be filed. Ordering from out of state must be done either by mail or in person.

A registry of Vital Statistics Offices is available via the CDC’s website

General guidelines for mail-in requests

There are also online services for vital records. These include:

Typical information required for birth certificates:

Full name (first, middle, last)
Sex
Date of birth (month, day, year)
Place of birth (city, county, state, and hospital if possible)
Parents’ full names, including maiden name
Purpose for request
Phone number
Email address
Mailing address

Common materials required for verification:

Photocopy of ID
- Driver’s license, state ID, military ID, etc.
Proof of address
- Utility bills, government letters, bank/credit/insurance bills, voter registration card, etc.

Mailed Requests

Mailed requests typically need to be notarized. Local notaries can often be found online or through a phone book, but common places to notarize documents are:

Local Government Offices
- City/County clerk, court office
Local banks
Law offices
Public libraries
Shipping locations
- Post office, UPS, FedEx
Some college/university offices
Insurance, real estate, or travel offices

Types of Birth Certificates

When requesting a birth certificate copy, the three general forms available are Long Form, Short Form, and Informational (or Heirloom).

The Long Form certificate is an exact copy of the original birth certificate on file in the Office of Vital Statistics. It contains the full details about a person’s identity, their parents’ identities, when and where the birth took place, and even when and where the birth certificate was filed.

^{Example of Long Form Birth Certificate https://www.usbirthcertificates.com}

The Short Form certificate has less precise information and varies by state, covering at minimum a person’s name, date, and place of birth. Because these documents are not federally standardized, when dealing with matters outside of the birth state’s jurisdiction it is not guaranteed to be accepted.

^{Example of Short Form Birth Certificate https://www.usbirthcertificates.com}

Informational copies of birth certificates are uncertified and cannot be used to establish a person’s identity in legal matters. They can contain anywhere from basic information about a person’s birth to the same as a Long Form certificate, and can even be requested by researchers. States such as Texas offer decorated copies for sentimental value and preservation of heritage.