Birth certificates
How long does it take to get a birth certificate?
Choose a state to read the time its office publishes. The table compares the longest mail delays, and the text explains how to get a copy faster.
Processing time published by your state office
Mail order · New York (outside NYC)
up to 84 days
| What the office says | Mail: 10 to 12 weeks from receipt (regular handling) |
| Office | NYSDOH Bureau of Vital Records |
Mail time both ways comes on top of the processing time.
The time to get a birth certificate depends far more on the channel than on the state. At a counter, at the state office or at a local registrar that issues copies, many states hand over the certificate the same day, often within an hour. By mail, the processing times published by state offices run from a few business days to about three months, and the postal time in both directions comes on top. Online orders through the state's authorized vendor are usually processed faster than mail, and the vendor offers express delivery at extra cost. Of the 52 offices covered here, 39 publish a processing time on their own pages; the longest mail delays, around ten weeks or more, are announced by Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, New York (outside NYC), New York City and Washington. Times change with the season and with backlogs, so the figure shown is the one on the office's page when it was read, on October 24, 2026. For an urgent need, a counter visit or a local registrar beats any mail order, and a passport appointment for urgent travel can sometimes be booked before the certificate arrives.
Mail or online: the difference in your state
Online with the published fee
$54
| By mail or at the counter | $32 |
| Published online fee | $22 |
| Online channel | Online through VitalChek: $54 for the first copy instead of $32; city and town clerks issue copies too. |
Fees and rules read on official pages by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How the fees are checked
What each office publishes
The wording is the office's own, condensed. Where a state is missing, its page gives no processing time.
| State | Published processing time |
|---|---|
| Alaska | Mail: 2-3 months (mail or fax); currently about 1-2 months; online: at least 2-3 weeks via VitalChek |
| Arkansas | Mail: 10-14 days plus mail time; online: 7-14 business days from approval plus shipping; in person: same day for most requests if arriving by 4:00 p.m. |
| California | Mail: average 4-6 weeks (CDPH); counties often faster |
| Colorado | Mail: currently processing mail received on or before 10/07/2026; online: normally 30 business days; in person: state office by appointment only; local offices also issue |
| Connecticut | Mail: state office up to 12 weeks; towns generally faster |
| Florida | Mail: 3-5 business days plus shipping (computer-generated); in person: same day walk-in with $10 rush fee, when available |
| Georgia | Mail: processed and shipped within 10 weeks; online: up to 10 weeks (ROVER, processing and shipping) |
| Hawaii | Mail: usually up to 4-6 weeks (all orders); online: usually up to 4-6 weeks (all orders) |
| Idaho | Mail: 3-5 weeks standard; 2-3 weeks with express (after receipt); online: 3-5 weeks standard via VitalChek; 2-3 weeks with rush; in person: no public counter at the state office |
| Illinois | Mail: approximately 12 weeks from receipt |
| Indiana | Mail: 10-15 business days once received (allow 2 weeks for the order to reach the office); in person: walk-up service at the local health department of the county of birth |
| Iowa | Mail: 4 to 6 weeks (average); online: VitalChek: 2-5 business days (UPS overnight), 5-10 business days (UPS 2-day), 4-6 weeks (regular mail); in person: ready after 2 hours (Des Moines) |
| Kansas | Mail: 7 to 10 business days, depending on request volume; online: VitalChek: within 3 to 5 business days after receipt (expedited fee $15); in person: around 15 to 20 minutes at the Topeka walk-in lobby |
| Kentucky | Mail: usually within 5 business days; allow up to 30 working days for mail orders |
| Louisiana | Mail: approximately 8-10 weeks for delivery |
| Maine | Mail: average 5-7 business days from receipt; in person: same day walk-in (occasionally up to 24 hours) |
| Maryland | Mail: 6 weeks (temporarily increased), plus a reported 4-week backlog on mail orders; online: 5 weeks with regular shipping, 3 weeks with expedited shipping; in person: same day at the DVR lobby (appointment only) |
| Massachusetts | Mail: processed and shipped within 15-20 business days of receipt (expedited mail: 10 business days); online: VitalChek: shipped within 10 business days (expedited: next business day); in person: processed immediately in most cases |
| Michigan | Mail: 4-6 weeks (regular); 2-3 weeks (rush); online: VitalChek Will Call pickup: processed within 2-5 business days; in person: same-day service by appointment (Tue/Thu 10am-2pm) |
| Minnesota | Mail: about an 8-day backlog (as of Oct 20, 2026, orders received by Oct 12 had been completed and mailed); in person: county offices: most of the time while you wait (MDH itself is mail/fax only) |
| Mississippi | Mail: 7-10 business days (standard USPS orders); online: 3-5 business days with UPS expedited delivery (online/phone); in person: same day unless a search is required |
| Nebraska | Mail: minimum 15 days in-office processing plus mail; online: minimum 7 days in-office processing; in person: minimum 30 minutes (walk-in) |
| New Hampshire | Mail: allow 20 business days from receipt; in person: usually issued while you wait |
| New Jersey | Mail: 2-4 weeks (mail via VitalChek) plus delivery; online: 4-6 weeks plus delivery; in person: typically within 2 hours (Trenton walk-in) |
| New York (outside NYC) | Mail: 10 to 12 weeks from receipt (regular handling) |
| New York City | Mail: approximately 2-3 weeks (non-premium mail: 8-12 weeks); online: 2-3 weeks plus up to 2 weeks regular mail delivery |
| North Carolina | Mail: average 10 business days processing plus shipping; in person: expedited in-person service by appointment only |
| North Dakota | Mail: usually mailed 3 to 5 business days after receipt, plus return mail; online: FedEx/UPS orders processed next business day |
| Ohio | 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 |
| Oregon | Mail: approximately 3-5 weeks from receipt; online: typically within three workdays (VitalChek); in person: 30-minute appointment at Portland kiosk; drop box 8-10 weeks |
| Pennsylvania | Mail: approximately 2 weeks; online: approximately 2 weeks; in person: same day if received before 2:30 p.m. at a public office |
| Rhode Island | Mail: 4-6 weeks (rush: 5-7 business days, +$7) |
| South Carolina | Mail: average 4 weeks (state office only); online: average 5-7 business days; in person: average 30-45 minutes; most same day |
| Tennessee | Mail: 3 days (as of 6/23/2026); online: 3 days; in person: same day |
| Texas | Mail: 25-30 average business days; online: 20-25 average business days (Texas.gov); in person: same day in most cases (Austin central office) |
| Utah | Mail: allow at least 6 weeks for processing and mailing; online: approximately 6 weeks (as of June 1, 2026) |
| Virginia | Mail: normal processing time 2 weeks (standard); online: next day processing with express delivery option |
| Washington | Mail: received within 8-10 weeks after payment is processed; online: VitalChek: processed and shipped within 3-7 business days; in person: most orders same day at local health departments |
| Wisconsin | Mail: about 10 business days plus mail time; online: about 5 business days (VitalChek) |
How to get it faster
- Go to a counter when you can, at the state office or a local registrar that issues certified copies.
- Order online through the state's authorized vendor rather than by mail, and pay for express delivery if the date matters.
- Fill in every field and sign where required; some states need a notarized signature for mail orders.
- Send a clear copy of a valid ID, front and back.
- Order all the copies you need at once, so that you do not wait twice.
Mail or online: the difference in your state
Online with the published fee
$54
| By mail or at the counter | $32 |
| Published online fee | $22 |
| Online channel | Online through VitalChek: $54 for the first copy instead of $32; city and town clerks issue copies too. |
When a date is fixed
For a passport with travel within weeks, the State Department runs passport agencies by appointment for urgent travel; the passport page explains what the certificate must show. For a lost certificate needed quickly, see replacement birth certificate. In New York, the city and the state publish different times: New York birth certificate.