Birth certificates
Certified copy of a birth certificate: which one to order
A certified copy is the only version an agency accepts as proof. The table matches each use with the version to ask for; the calculator gives the price.
Total for your order · Ohio
$21.50
$21.50 per copy
| First certified copy | $21.50 |
Office: ODH Office of Vital Statistics. Published processing time: Mail: typically 4 to 6 weeks; online: processed within 5 business days; USPS delivery about 3 weeks; in person: same-day at local health department offices. Official fee page
A certified copy of a birth certificate is a copy issued by a government vital records office and certified by the registrar as a true copy of the record on file. It carries the registrar's signature, the issuing office and a seal, which may be raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored, and it is printed on security paper that shows tampering. Agencies accept only this version as proof of age, citizenship or identity: the passport office, the motor vehicle office for a REAL ID card, Social Security, schools and sports leagues. An informational copy, sold in many states to anyone, carries a printed statement that it cannot be used to establish identity. A short-form abstract or birth card lists the main facts without the parents' names and is refused for a passport in many cases. Photocopies, notarized copies and hospital certificates are never certified copies. The price is the same whichever version you ask for: between $9 and $34 for the first copy depending on the state, median $18.50. When in doubt, order the certified long form: it is accepted for every use.
Birth and death certificate fees in your state
First birth certificate copy · Michigan
$34
| Extra birth copy, same order | $16 |
| First death certificate copy | $34 |
| Extra death copy, same order | $16 |
Fees and rules read on official pages by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the fees are checked
Which version for which use
| Use | Version to order | Must be certified |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. passport | Certified long form | Yes |
| REAL ID driver's license | Certified copy, long or short | Yes |
| Social Security card | Certified copy | Yes |
| School or sports enrollment | Certified copy, sometimes a photocopy | Often |
| Dual citizenship, foreign marriage | Certified long form, often with apostille | Yes |
| Family history | Informational copy is enough | No |
How to recognize a certified copy
- The seal of the issuing office, raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored.
- The signature of the state or local registrar, printed or original.
- Security paper, often with a background pattern, watermark or color change when copied.
- The date the copy was issued and, on long forms, the date the record was filed.
A copy that lacks the seal, or a copy made on a home printer from a scan, is not certified, even if it came from a family file. A replacement costs the same as any copy.
States that sell informational copies
California, for example, issues authorized and informational certified copies; only the authorized one establishes identity, as the California page explains. Ohio treats birth records as public but still issues certified copies to anyone who asks: Ohio birth certificate. The tool below shows a state's fees for birth and death copies.
Birth and death certificate fees in your state
First birth certificate copy · Washington
$25
| Extra birth copy, same order | $25 |
| First death certificate copy | $25 |
| Extra death copy, same order | $25 |
For use abroad
A foreign authority usually wants a certified long form issued recently, with an apostille from the secretary of state of the state of birth: see apostille on a birth certificate. For a U.S. passport, the passport checklist lists each item the State Department checks.