Where to find birth records

Follow the instructions for requesting copies and paying fees. If you need a copy fast, ask about expedited service or shipping when you place your order. If you were born to American parents abroad, they should have registered your birth with the country's U. You can get a copy of this report from the U. Department of State. Depending on the country, a vital records office in the nation may also list the birth.

If you were born on a military base abroad, your parents might not have registered your birth with the U. In that case, you may have to contact the hospital where you were born. If you were born in a foreign country and adopted by a U. The country in which you were born would have issued one.

To get a copy, contact the nearest foreign embassy or consulate for that country. If you need an authenticated copy and it's not in English, ask the embassy for help to get it translated. If you were adopted from another country by a U. For help, contact U. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A marriage license legally allows you to marry. A marriage certificate proves you got married. How you get copies depends on whether you married in the U.

Contact the state vital records office. They may direct you to the clerk of the city or county where the license was issued or to another local office. They will tell you the cost, what information you need to supply, and if you can get a copy online, by mail, or in person.

Contact the embassy or consulate of the country where the marriage took place. Its staff will help you get a certified copy of the foreign marriage document. Many organizations require a certified copy of the death certificate when someone dies. How you get copies depends on whether the person died in the U. Contact the vital records office of the state where the death occurred to learn:.

You will need to know the date and place of death. The state may also ask for other details about the person, how you are related to them, or why you want the certificate. You may only need a photocopy for other tasks, such as canceling a subscription. Check with the agency or organization handling each account. Supplementary birth certificates. If a person is legitimized by the subsequent marriage of his or her natural parents, he or she may request the state registrar to issue a supplementary birth certificate, indicating his or her legitimate status.

After this supplementary certificate is registered, the original birth certificate is not open to inspection, except upon an order of a Utah district court, or upon the mutual consent of the person and his or her parents. See id.

Adoption records. Records of Vermont births, deaths, marriages, civil unions, and divorces dating from and earlier, with a few exceptions including foreign-born births, are available from the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration.

At this time, pursuant to 18 V. New requirements for the safety and security of birth and death certificates went into effect on July 1, Skip to content 1. Birth certificates. Alaska When years have elapsed from the date of birth, these records become public. Arizona This section is blank. See the point above. California Public, except for those parts which contain medical and family information.

Colorado Vital statistics records shall be treated as confidential, but the department of public health and environment shall, upon request, furnish to any applicant having a direct and tangible interest in a vital statistics record a certified copy of any record.

Connecticut Conn. District of Columbia. Florida Birth records are considered exempt and may be open only as provided by law. Georgia Birth certificates will be made available to the person named on the certificate, parents shown on the birth record, authorized legal guardians or agents, grandparents, adult children, adult siblings, and spouses.

Hawaii Haw. Indiana Birth certificates are not public records. Kansas Birth certificates are not available for public disclosure pursuant to K. Kentucky Under Ky. Maine Custodians of certificates and records of birth, marriage and death may permit inspection of records, or issue certified copies of certificates or records, or any parts thereof, when satisfied that the applicant therefor has a direct and legitimate interest in the matter recorded, the decision of the state registrar or the clerk of a municipality being subject to review by the Superior Court, pursuant to 22 M.

Maryland Because birth certificates contain certain of the identifying information delineated in Section j , they may not be disclosed. Michigan Not specifically addressed. Minnesota Data pertaining to the birth of a child to a woman who is not married to the child's father, including the birth certificate, is confidential, unless the mother designates that the data be made public.

Missouri See above. Montana Immediately upon the filing of a record with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services, the fact that a birth occurred may be released to the public.

Nevada See NAC New Jersey N. The subject's legal guardian or legal representative; The subject's child, grandchild or sibling, if of legal age; A State or Federal agency requesting the record for official purposes; A person requesting the record pursuant to a court order; or vii.

North Carolina Birth certificates, with the exception of the names of children and parents, the addresses of parents other than county of residence and postal code , and the social security numbers of parents, are public records. North Dakota Birth records, filings, data, and other information related to birth, except as authorized, are confidential. Ohio Ordinarily birth certificates are public records.

Oklahoma A birth certificate is deemed confidential and may not be disclosed. The United States Social Security Administration Records is a database whose records reveal an individual's full name and residence at time of application, birth and death dates and last known residence. Once you have a birth date, you can look for a newspaper announcement that could lead to more information about the family.

Knowing the birth place can help to locate the family and lead to additional records, such as land records, and city directories. The birth record may also contain the maiden name of the mother and the parents' and child's complete names. Some birth records also have the name of the hospital and doctor or attendant. In some instances, the birth record may also contain the family's religious affiliation.

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Vital Records. Birth Records.