By state
Texas birth certificate: what a certified copy costs
The fee of the Vital Statistics Section in Austin, what local registrars and Texas.gov add, and the total for the copies you need.
Total for your order · Texas
$44
$22 per copy
| First certified copy | $22 |
| 1 more copy at $22 | $22 |
Office: DSHS Vital Statistics Section. Published processing time: Mail: 25-30 average business days; online: 20-25 average business days (Texas.gov); in person: same day in most cases (Austin central office). Official fee page
A certified copy of a Texas birth certificate costs $22 at the Vital Statistics Section of the Department of State Health Services, and every extra copy of the same certificate costs the same, so two copies come to $44. That puts Texas 34 out of 52 offices from the cheapest. The state office in Austin takes orders by mail and at its counter, and online orders go through Texas.gov, the state portal, which adds its own processing charge shown before you pay. County clerks and local registrars across Texas also issue certified copies, and many hand them over the same day. A Texas death certificate costs $20 for the first copy and $3 for each additional one, which matters when an estate needs many. Fees were read on the DSHS fee page on October 24, 2026.
Certificate with an apostille for use abroad
Certificates + apostilles · Texas
$37
| Certified copies | $22 |
| Apostille per document | $15 |
| Apostilles | $15 |
Adoption $10 (max $100 per child). Certified birth record issued within the past 5 years (DSHS or local registrar). Mail: allow 25 business days; DSHS does not forward records to SOS.
Fees and rules read on official pages by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the fees are checked
Austin, a county counter or Texas.gov
Texas keeps every birth since 1903 in one statewide system, so the place you order from changes the wait more than the record. The state office in Austin handles mail orders and serves customers at its lobby. Texas.gov, the state portal; county and local registrars issue copies too. Ordering on the portal is the simplest route for someone who lives outside Texas; it is not cheaper, because the processing charge comes on top of the state fee.
For a person who lives in Texas, a county clerk or city registrar is usually faster. Many of them can issue a certified copy for a birth anywhere in the state, not only in their county, and print it at the counter. Their fee is set locally and can differ by a dollar or two from the state's $22; check the county page before you go.
Texas next to its neighbors
Fees of the offices of the four neighboring states, for comparison. Each figure comes from the state office's official fee page.
| State | Birth, first copy | Each extra copy | 3 copies | Death, first copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $22 | $22 | $66 | $20 |
| Oklahoma | $15 | $15 | $45 | $15 |
| Louisiana | $15 | $15 | $45 | $7 |
| New Mexico | $10 | $10 | $30 | $5 |
| Arkansas | $12 | $10 | $32 | $10 |
Long form or abstract
Texas issues two versions of a birth record. The long-form certificate reproduces the original record, with the parents' names and the place of birth; the abstract, or short form, gives the main facts on a smaller card. For a U.S. passport, a dual citizenship file or a foreign marriage, ask for the long form: the passport page explains what the State Department checks. Ask at the counter if you are unsure, because the price is the same.
Using a Texas certificate abroad
A foreign school, employer or consulate may ask for an apostille, which the Texas Secretary of State adds to a certificate signed by the state registrar. The tool below adds the apostille fee to the copies. The apostille guide explains the order of the steps.
How much do you save by ordering all copies at once?
3 copies in one order
$66
| Ordered one at a time | $66 |
| Saved | $0 |
| Price per copy in one order | $22 |
This state charges the same for every copy: ordering together saves only on shipping.
Other Texas records
A Texas death certificate costs $20 for the first copy and $3 for each extra copy ordered with it, so five copies cost $32. Marriage licenses are sold by county clerks, not by the state; the Texas marriage license page gives the county prices, the 72-hour wait and the course that removes it.