Ordering A Birth Certificate In New York City
Ordering a birth certificate online is the quickest way to get a copy from the New York City Health Department. The department will complete online orders only for those whose names appear on the birth certificate. Online order reviews take about 24 hours on business days, but shipping time depends on delivery.
Copies are sent to applicants via the USPS. For an additional fee, applicants can use USPS express mail, but express mail cannot be delivered to a P.O. box.
Applicants can also order copies of a birth certificate by mail by downloading and printing an application and including a stamped, self-addressed envelope with their identifying documents and fees for delivery to the Office of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street, CN-4, Room 133 New York, NY 10013-4090.
Not Born In The United States
To change the name of someone born outside the United States, most, but not all, foreign countries have records of births and deaths. Most foreign countries will give certifications of births. You can contact the Embassy or the nearest Consulate in the U.S. from the country where you were born. Addresses and telephone numbers for these offices can be found online.
If you cant get a certified copy of your birth certificate, the Judge may permit a copy of the birth certificate, baptismal certificate, passport, or other legal documents which show the date and place of your birth.
Births From 1850 Thru 1880
After the failure of the 1847 law, no births were recorded in the towns comprising present-day New York City. For births in Manhattan between 1850 and 1852, in Brooklyn and the towns of Kings county before 1866, and in the towns of Queens and Richmond Counties before 1881, try searching to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.
| Try 1st: | New York City Birth Databases – Includes Index and some images |
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How Do I Get My Birth Certificate Apostille
There are 3 way to get an Apostille for your New York City Birth Certificate.
1. The OFFICIAL way requires to have an Long form Birth Certificate with a Letter of Exemplification . The Letter of Exemplification is only issued when you order a new the Long form Birth Certificate & request the Letter of Exemplification at the same time. Therefore, you need your Birth Certificate & a Letter of Exemplification to receive an Apostilla Stamp.
2. Another official way is to have an original New York City or New York State Certificate of Birth that is signed by the current City Registrar Steven Schwartz, Ph.D. or the Director of Vital Record
3. The Unofficial way is for you to create a letter stating that you have an original or a copy of a birth certificate issues by the state, city, or local county registrar of your locality. Then you get the letter you created & have it notarized. The only problem doing it this way the person who is receiving your birth certificate may not accept it. So, you need to check first to find out which procedure you wish to follow.
If need a new Birth Certificate and you now have to go to the website to order a new one.
If you have your NYC Birth Certificate
Special Note:
New York City Birth Records
Dates: From 1910 at the city level some earlier records at borough level
Cost of copy: $15.00
The vital records office has birth records since 1910 for those occurring in the Boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. For birth records prior to 1910, write to Archives Division, Department of Records and Information Services, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. Online ordering is preferred and processed within 24 hours. However, this incurs both a processing fee, in addition to a shipping fee. Applications sent via postal mail must be notarized and the processing time is at least 30 days, but there is not an additional processing fee. You can also order in-person for a $2.75 security fee in addition to the certificate fee.
Birth records prior to 1910 are available through the municipal archives: Manhattan , Brooklyn , Bronx , Queens and Richmond/Staten Island . The fee for online and mail orders is $15 per certificate. You can also visit in person and research in the microfilmed vital records for free. Certified copies of identified records may be ordered over-the-counter and will be printed while you wait. The fee is $11.00 per copy. Self-service copying is not available for vital records.
Website: New York Births and Christenings, 16401962
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Cost Of Obtaining Copies
Copies are $15 each with an $8.30 processing fee per order. When paying online, applicants can use a credit or debit card or enter information from their personal checking account. When paying by mail, applicants must send a personal check or money order made payable to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Not Born In New York State
To change the name of someone who was not born in New York State you can use any document that proves when and where the person was born. An official birth certificate should be on file in the place of birth. These records are filed permanently in a State vital statistics office or in a city, county, or other local office. To get a certified copy of the birth certificate, write or go to the vital statistics office in the state or area where you were born. The National Center for Health Statistics has a list of state agencies that keep vital records on their website.
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Ny State Vital Records Agency Information
NEW YORK VITAL RECORDSThe New York State Division of Vital Records issues certified copies of New York birth certificates, New York death certificates, New York marriage records for events which occurred in the State of New York boroughs of New York City) and New Hyde Park. New York State Vital Records issues copies of New York divorce certificates for events that occurred anywhere in the State of New York, including New York City. You may order copies of New York Vital Records through VitalChek on an expedited basis.
NOTICE: Although VitalChek attempts to include accurate and up-to-date information on this site, state and agency information is subject to change without notice. VitalChek makes no representations or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the information herein and assumes no liability with respect to such information.
NEW YORK BIRTH CERTIFICATESNew York State Vital Records does not file and cannot issue copies of New York City birth certificates. For births that occurred in one of the five boroughs of New York City , Queens, The Bronx and Staten Island), you will need to place your order with the New York City Department of Health.
Who Can Order?You may order copies of New York birth certificates for yourself or for a child, as long as your name appears on the certificate*. Your name must also appear on the credit or debit card that is being used for payment.
Born In New York State But Not In Nyc
To change the name of someone born in New York State, but outside NYC) you will have to bring an original or certified copy of the birth certificate to Court. You can get a certified copy of the birth certificate over the internet, by phone or by mail from the New York State Department of Health Vital Records section. If no birth certificate exists, bring a certificate from the Commissioner of the local Board of Health saying that no birth certificate is available.
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Births From 1853 Thru 1897
Manhattan started keeping some birth records in 1853. In 1866, a more complete law was passed requiring that all births be recorded. Records from this time period have been microfilm by FamilySearch and the original records are held by the New York Municipal Archives.
OPTION ONE: Find Birth Information and Certificates Online
An online index for Manhattan births from 1880 thru 1897 does exist. Births from earlier time periods are available on microfilm. If you do not find your ancestor’s birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, contact the New York City Municipal Archives.
| Try 1st: | New York City Birth Databases – Index and some images |
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OPTION TWO: Obtain the Birth Certificate if it’s Not Found Online
If you do not locate the birth in the indexed or certificates in the births database on the NYC Department of Records website as provided by the New York City Municipal Archives, you may have to contact them directly.
See for ordering birth records
If you do not want to order the birth record, you can search .
New York City Vital Records Indexes
Indexes* at the Milstein Division of U.S. History, Local History & Genealogy, The New York Public Library:
Index to NYC Births, 18661909 Index to NYC Deaths, 18881948 Marriage Indexes by Groom 18881937 and Brides 18691937
*These indexes can only be viewed in person.
In addition, collections in the Milstein Division feature alternative resources for birth, marriage, and death information, including church records, historical newspaper collections, family files, and genealogy periodicals.
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Ordering Vital Records In New York City
Before starting the process to request a certified copy of a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or death certificate, it is important to understand that you will have to provide some sensitive information in order to obtain your records. It is also important to know about the requirements, processing times, and other relevant information for the New York City government agency. Read below to understand more about some of the most frequently asked questions.
To understand what is needed before you apply for a certified copy of a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or death certificate, it is good to know some sensitive information about the requirements, processing times, and other information for that is required by the state of New York City.
Processing times differ between offices, but you should expect to receive your vital records in New York City 14 to 16 business weeks.
At the moment there are limitations to who can request vital records in the state of New York City Bureau of Vital Statistics. It depends on if the request is for a birth certificate, marriage certificate, or death certificate, the requestor must be doing it on their own behalf. Otherwise, the requester must be part of the close family, some distant family member, or must be the legal representative for the individual of record.
Getting Your Birth Certificate Apostille
PLEASE NOTE: NOTARIZED DOCUMENTS ACCEPTABLE FOR APOSTILLE ARE DOCUMENTS NOTARIZED BY A NYS NOTARY PUBLIC WHICH MUST CONTAIN A PROPERLY EXECUTED NOTARIZATION WHICH INCLUDES THE JURAT IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTABLE FOR AN APOSTILLE.
New York counties served: Albany,Allegany, Bronx, Broome, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauqua, Chemung,Chenango, Clinton, Columbia, Cortland, Delaware, Dutchess, Erie,Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Genesee, Greene, Hamilton, Herkimer,Jefferson, Kings , Lewis, Livingston, Madison, Monroe,Montgomery, Nassau, New York City, New York , Niagara, Oneida,Onondaga, Ontario, Orange, Orleans, Oswego, Otsego, Putnam, Queens,Rensselaer, Richmond , Rockland, Saratoga,Schenectady, Schoharie, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, St. Lawrence,Suffolk, Sullivan, Tioga, Tompkins, Ulster, Warren, Washington,Wayne, Westchester, Wyoming, Yates
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State Department Questions Legitimacy Of Birth Certificate
Very occasionally, the state department might question the legitimacy of a birth certificate. This could be for a range of potential reasons including when a birth is not officially registered on time after a home birth.Our team of experts at Vital Records will guide applicants through any of these potential issues. Order your birth certificate today to ensure a smooth application process.
How Long Does It Take To Get A Birth Certificate In New York
Online requests for birth records made via the NYC third-party service provider are reviewed within 24 hours on weekdays and shipping time is dependent on the delivery period. The standard delivery is via the US Postal Service, while requesters are charged additional fees for using UPS express mail delivery. Note that express mail delivery is not available for P.O. Box addresses.
Internet requests for birth certificates in New York State are processed within 5 10 business days of receipt. Mail requests ordered with priority handling are processed within 2 4 weeks from when they are received while mail requests ordered with regular handling are processed within 10 to 12 weeks.
In New York City, mail orders take 20 weeks to complete. This period does not include the mailing time which can take an additional 10 to 15 business days. For further inquiries, call 311 for calls within New York City or 639-9675 for persons calling from outside of New York City to contact the Vital Records Office in New York City. Online requests take about 10 business days to complete. Although UPS express orders are typically shipped by overnight mail, the mailing process can take an additional 10 to 15 business days. Certified copies can be obtained the same day for in-person requests while requests for long-form birth certificates or vault copies take two weeks to complete.
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What Is A Certified Birth Certificate
A certified copy of a birth certificate is a legal document that people can use as identification proof. It is totally different from the certificate of live birth. A certified copy can be used to apply for the first drivers licenses, social security cards, passports, visas, marriage certificates, death certificates, genealogy and many other crucial documents and services in the United States.
Real ID deadline update to October 1st of 2021.Read the complete article.
To order a copy of your lost birth certificate, the vital statistics office will require the following information to fill the application:
- Birth information of the person in record.
- Information about the parents of the person in record.
- Name and contact information of the person filing the application.
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Vitalchek: Only Authorized Online Vendor
For the fastest service, order certified copies online through VitalChek, which is the only vendor authorized by the Health Department to process birth certificate orders.
There are unauthorized vendors charging customers high fees for help getting a birth certificate. If you ordered a certificate through an unauthorized vendor and would like to file a complaint, visit the NYC Department of Consumer Protection or .
The Health Department issues birth certificates for all people who are born in New York City. You can order a certificate online, by mail or in person. We recommend ordering online through VitalChek, which is the fastest way to receive your certificate.
You may apply for a New York City birth certificate if:
- You were born in New York City
- You are listed on the birth certificate
- You are 18 or older
For more information on applying , see Birth and Death Records: How to Apply
Each certificate costs $15, and may have an additional processing fee. For more information on fees, see Birth and Death Records: Fees.
There are two types of birth certificates:
The following application is required for all orders of both short and long forms:
If you are unable to schedule an appointment and have an emergency request related to travel, health care coverage, government services, military, housing or employment, email or .
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Births From 1866 Thru 1897
The city of Brooklyn started keeping birth records in 1866. At the time, the towns of Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend, New Lots, and New Utrecht were not a part of Brooklyn. These towns reported their births starting in 1881 to the New York State Department of Health until they were annexed by Brooklyn.
Births in Brooklyn
OPTION ONE: Find Birth Information and Certificates Online
| Try 1st: | New York City Birth Databases – Index and some images |
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OPTION TWO: Obtain the Birth Certificate if it’s Not Found Online
If you do not locate the birth in the indexed or certificates in the births database on the NYC Department of Records as provided by the New York City Municipal Archives, you may have to contact them directly.
See for ordering birth records
If you do not want to order the birth record, you can search .
Births in Flatbush , Gravesend , New Lots , and New Utrecht
OPTION ONE: Find Birth Information Online
| Try 1st: | Flatbush, Gravesend, – Index |
STEP ONE: Find Birth Information
The New York Archives as well as nine other repositories in New York hold copies of microfiche indexes to birth certificates. Contact one of these ten repositories to search the index. If you do not find your ancestor’s birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, contact the New York City Municipal Archives.
STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate