Birth certificates
How to get a copy of your birth certificate
Four steps that work in every state, with the fee of the state you pick in the calculator. Most people finish in one visit or one mail order.
Total for your order · California
$31
$31 per copy
| First certified copy | $31 |
Office: CDPH Vital Records. Published processing time: Mail: average 4-6 weeks (CDPH); counties often faster. Official fee page
To get a copy of a birth certificate, order it from the vital records office of the state where the birth took place, or from a local registrar in that state, never from the state where you live now. Four steps cover nearly every case. First, identify the office: the state health department's vital records office, or for the five boroughs of New York City, the city's own office. Second, check that you may order a certified copy: the person named, once an adult, and parents named on the record can almost always order; spouses, children, siblings and legal representatives can in many states, sometimes with proof. Third, gather a valid government photo ID and the details of the birth: full name, date, city or county, and the parents' names. Fourth, choose the channel: mail, a counter, or the state's authorized online vendor, which adds a charge. The state fee for one certified copy runs from $9 in Florida to $34 in Michigan, with a median of $18.50. Counter orders are often ready the same day; mail and online orders take from days to weeks depending on the state.
Your state's vital records office
Office
IDPH Division of Vital Records
| Birth certificate | $15 |
| Death certificate | $19 |
| Online | Online through VitalChek ($15 added); county clerks issue copies too. |
Fees and rules read on official pages by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the fees are checked
Step 1: the office of the state of birth
Births are registered where they happen. Someone born in Illinois and living in Oregon orders from Illinois, through its state office or a county clerk in Illinois. The tool below shows the office, the fees and the online channel for any state; the vital records office page links to all 52 official pages.
Your state's vital records office
Office
IDPH Division of Vital Records
| Birth certificate | $15 |
| Death certificate | $19 |
| Online | Online through VitalChek ($15 added); county clerks issue copies too. |
Step 2: the right to order
Most states restrict certified birth copies to the person named and close relatives, and a handful treat birth records as public. Everyone can usually obtain an informational copy or a record that has become public after many decades, which is useful for family history but not for identity. If you are not eligible, ask the person named to order, or to sign an authorization.
Step 3: what to send
- The state application form, filled in and signed; some states require a notarized signature for mail orders.
- A copy of a valid photo ID, front and back.
- Proof of relationship when ordering for a relative, such as your own birth certificate showing the same parent.
- The fee, by check or money order made out to the office, or by card online and at the counter.
Step 4: fee and channel
The lowest and highest state fees for the first copy:
| Lowest fees | First copy | Each extra copy |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | $9 | $4 |
| Hawaii | $10 | $4 |
| Indiana | $10 | $4 |
| Kentucky | $10 | $10 |
| Maryland | $10 | $10 |
| New Mexico | $10 | $10 |
| Highest fees | First copy | Each extra copy |
|---|---|---|
| Michigan | $34 | $16 |
| Massachusetts | $32 | $32 |
| California | $31 | $31 |
| New York (outside NYC) | $30 | $30 |
| Connecticut | $30 | $30 |
| Alaska | $30 | $25 |
The counter is the fastest; mail is the cheapest; online is the simplest from far away. The trade-offs are on ordering online, the waits on how long it takes, and the kind of copy to ask for on certified copy.