By state
New York birth certificate: city office or state office
Born in the five boroughs or elsewhere in New York? The answer picks the office, the fee and the online charge, and the calculator below starts on the city.
Total for your order · New York City
$15
$15 per copy
| First certified copy | $15 |
Office: NYC Health Office of Vital Records. Published processing time: Mail: approximately 2-3 weeks (non-premium mail: 8-12 weeks); online: 2-3 weeks plus up to 2 weeks regular mail delivery. Official fee page
New York has two separate birth record systems. A birth in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx or Staten Island is held by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, which charges $15 per certified copy. A birth anywhere else in New York State is held by the New York State Department of Health in Albany, which charges $30 per copy by mail, and by the local registrar of the town or city of birth, which can also issue copies. Neither office covers the other: the state cannot issue a certificate for a Brooklyn birth, and the city cannot issue one for a Buffalo birth. Online orders for both go through VitalChek, which adds $9.30 to each city order. State orders online cost more: VitalChek: $45 a copy including $15 priority handling, plus $8 per order; local registrars issue copies too. A death certificate costs $15 in the city and $30 from the state. Fees were read on the official city and state pages on October 24, 2026.
Mail or online: the difference in your state
Online with the published fee
$38
| By mail or at the counter | $30 |
| Published online fee | $8 |
| Online channel | VitalChek: $45 a copy including $15 priority handling, plus $8 per order; local registrars issue copies too. |
Fees and rules read on official pages by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the fees are checked
Two offices, side by side
| Office | Birth, per copy | Each extra copy | Online charge per order | Death, per copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York City (5 boroughs) | $15 | $15 | $9.30 | $15 |
| New York State (rest of the state) | $30 | $30 | $8 | $30 |
The state's online price is not a simple add-on: through VitalChek a state copy is sold with priority handling included, so the online total runs well above the $30 mail fee. The city's online channel adds a fixed charge to the city fee. The tool below compares mail and online for either office.
Mail or online: the difference in your state
Online with the published fee
$24.30
| By mail or at the counter | $15 |
| Published online fee | $9.30 |
| Online channel | VitalChek is the city's only online vendor and adds $9.30. |
Outside the city: the local registrar
Every town, village and city in New York outside the five boroughs has a local registrar, usually in the town or city clerk's office, who keeps the births that took place there. Local registrars can issue certified copies, often the same day for a person who appears with ID, and some issue them for genealogy after a period of restriction. Their fee is set by the municipality, so it can differ from the state's $30; the state office remains the place to order when the town of birth is unknown.
Who may order
In both systems the person named, once 18, and a parent named on the certificate may order a certified copy. Others need a documented lawful right or a court order. A spouse, child or sibling ordering for a deceased person attaches proof of the relationship. Every applicant sends or shows a government photo ID.
Abroad and for a passport
A U.S. passport application needs a certified long-form copy with the parents' names; both offices issue one. For use abroad, the order of steps differs between city and state certificates, as the FAQ explains, and the apostille guide gives the fees. New York State also runs its own marriage license rules, with a 24-hour wait: see New York marriage license. For death records and the number of copies an estate needs, see death certificate cost.