Getting The Birth Certificate By Telephone
Ordering A Copy Online Through Vitalchek
New York State Birth Certificates
Those seeking New York birth certificates should begin with the state’s index to all birth certificates from 1881. Birth indexes are made available after 75 years, but not all indexes are entirely up to date, and may only go up to the mid-1930s. Another limitation to keep in mind is that not all births were reported in the earlier years of the index – compliance grew over time, and before 1913 was often incomplete in many areas.
The vital records chapter of our New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer goes into detail on when compliance started in every area of New York State, and how researchers should handle research in all areas and time periods.
Fortunately, the New York State Birth Index from 1880 – 1942 was recently added as a searchable database on Ancestry.com. Images are also available to browse for free on Internet Archive.
Again, these indexes do not cover several notable locations. New York City birth certificates have always been kept completely separate from vital records of other locations in New York State. See the New York City section of this guide for more information.
Additionally, New York State does not have birth records for Albany, Buffalo, or Yonkers before 1914. Click the name of each municipality to find out about obtaining vital records for your ancestors in these cities.
Once you have found the birth certificate number, you’re ready to request a copy.
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New York State Vital Records
New York State has created indexes to births, marriages, and deaths occurring after 1880 for locations outside of New York City.
State coverage for Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers does not begin until 1914. If you’re seeking a birth, marriage, or death record for an ancestor in one of those locations before 1914, click the name of each municipality for tips on finding records before 1914.
Researchers with ancestors anywhere else in New York State can get their ancestor’s vital record in two steps:
- Locate the certificate number in a New York State vital records index
- Use the certificate number found in the index to request the record
These records are only available to the public after a certain period of time, which varies depending on the record and the researcher’s relation to the person of interest. Read on for a general overview of each type of record and where to find the indexes you need to get started.
New York Vital Records Offices
Below you will find a complete list of all County Clerks and Health Department offices who can provide Birth Certificate copies in New York State. Note that County Recorder Offices may not be near you, although they can sometimes process the requests faster than the CDPH-VR.
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85 River Rock Drive Suite 301 Buffalo, NY 14207
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NYC Office of Vital Records125 Worth Street, CN4, Rm. 133 New York, NY 10013
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110 Dr.Martin Luther King Jr Blvd,White Plains, NY 10601
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Birth Marriage And Death Certificates
Vital Records:
Birth, marriage, and death certificates are not filed in the Broome County Clerk’s Office. They’re recorded in the City, Town or Village where the event took place.
These vital records can also be ordered online through the NYS Department of Health by visiting www.health.ny.gov/vital_records or by calling 1-877-854-4481.
Pennsylvania birth, death and marriage records can be ordered online through the Pennsylvania Department of Healths Division of Vital Records at www.health.pa.gov/topics/certificates/Pages/Vital%20Records.aspx.
Officiating Weddings:
The Broome County Clerk’s office does not register marriage officiants.
According to the New York State Department of Health’s website , there is no requirement for officiants to register if the marriage is performed in New York State outside of the five boroughs of New York City.
We would encourage you to contact the City, Town or Village where the marriage license was issued to see if they have any other requirements.
Their contact information is below:
Municipal Clerks in Broome County:
City of Binghamtons Registrar of Vital Statistics:
- Phone: 772-7029
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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Who Can Apply For A New York Birth Certificate
The following people are able to apply for an authorized copy of a birth certificate from the state of New York:
- The certificate holder, a parent or legal guardian of the certificate holder.
- A child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, or domestic partner of the certificate holder.
- A member of a law enforcement agency or a representative of another governmental agency, as provided by law, who is conducting official business.
- A party entitled to receive the record as a result of a court order, or an attorney or a licensed adoption agency seeking the birth record.
- An attorney representing the certificate holder or the certificate holders estate, or any person or agency empowered by statute or appointed by a court to act on behalf of the certificate holder or the certificate holder’s estate.
If you need to get your drivers license, apply for a passport, get married, register for school, you will need a certified copy of your birth certificate.
Remember that what differentiates this type of birth certificate copy is the official state registrars raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored Seal of New York, the registrars signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrars office.
All those born in the state of New York that need to request a certified copy of their birth certificate will need to include a clear photocopy of both sides of one of the forms of photo ID listed below along with a completed application form:
New York Vital Records: Key Facts
There are a couple of crucial facts all researchers should know about locating vital records in New York State.
Fact #1: New York State did not require local governments to report births, marriages, and deaths until 1880.
The history of New York State vital record-keeping is complex and convoluted. For the most part, New York State did not force local governments to track birth, marriage, and death events until the 1880seven after that, many smaller municipalities were not stellar in their compliance.
If youre looking for a birth, marriage, or death record prior to 1880, you should check with local records offices first, but you may need to ultimately seek a vital record substitute.
Fact #2: Where you look for a vital record will change depending on the year and location of the event youre investigating.
New York vital records are not all stored in the same location or by the same authority. You will need to investigate sets of vital records in Albany, New York City, or other locations depending on the time period of the event youre investigating.
This guide includes the following sections:
For an even more comprehensive overview of New York State vital records, see the NYG& B Guide to Birth, Marriage & Death Records available in print in our online store.
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Government Issued Vital Certificates
A certified New York Birth Certificate can typically be used for travel, passport, proof of citizenship, social security, drivers license, school registration, personal identification and other legal purposes.
A certified New York Death Record can typically be used to obtain death benefits, claim insurance proceeds, notify social security and other legal purposes.
A certified New York Divorce Certificate can typically be used as proof of divorce and other legal purposes.
Births From 1851 Thru 1880
| Try: |
| New York, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1704-1962 | FREE at FamilySearch.org. Index and images. |
Starting in 1881, New York required that village, town, and city clerks record births. Copies of these births were then filed with the State Department of Health. Due to earlier city laws, births recorded in Albany, Buffalo, and Yonkers were not copied to the State between 1881 and 1914.
Births in New York State
STEP ONE Search the Index
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.
STEP TWO Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date , you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the following locations:
| To Order Birth Certificates |
| New York, Church and Civil Births and Baptisms, 1704-1962 | FREE at FamilySearch.org. Index and images. |
After 1914, copies of all birth records were filed with the New York Department of Health. Copies can be obtained either through the village, town, or city clerk where the birth took place or by contacting the Department of Health.
STEP ONE Search the Index
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.
STEP TWO Obtain the Certificate
With an exact date , you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the following locations:
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Who Is Eligible To Get A Copy Of A Birth Certificate
- The person named on the birth certificate.
- A parent of the person named on the birth certificate. The requesting parent’s name must be on the birth certificate.
- A spouse, child or others, but only by order of a New York State court.
What identification needs to be submitted by the applicant?
Application must be submitted with copies of either A or B:
Please submit a copy of your U.S. passport in addition to the above ID if you are applying from a foreign country that requires a passport for travel.
New York City Municipal Archives: The Largest Collection Of Nyc Vital Records
In general, researchers can find vital records from the following time periods at the Municipal Archives:
- Birth certificates: 18471909
- Death certificates: 18471948
A more detailed listing of availability can be found in the Municipal Archives List of Holdings on the DORIS website.
Coverage dates don’t necessarily apply to all pre-consolidation municipalities . For significantly greater detail by town and village pre-consolidation, see the New York City Municipal Archives: An Authorized Guide for Family Historians.
To retrieve a copy of a certificate, the most important piece of information a researcher should have is the certificate number. Certificate numbers can be found by locating the name of the individual in a vital records index.
Most indexes contain little more than basic details about the event and the certificate number, with the notable exception of Ancestry’s new indexes, which debuted in February 2020.
Records in these new collections are really far more than just indexesa lot of valuable information has been extracted from each certificate and is available to view online. Read our blog about Ancestry’s new New York City vital records for more information.
See the list below for some of the most useful online indexes to New York City birth, marriage, and death records.
Ancestry
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Who Can Request Your Birth Records
Certified copies of birth can be requested only by the person named in the birth certificate if they are 18 years or older. Also, parents and legal guardians or representatives can apply for them. Depending on the state, additional family members may be eligible to apply on behalf of the individual in need of the vital record.Check who can apply here.
Certified Copy Of Birth Registration
When a child is born in Ontario, their parent or guardian must register their birth with the Government of Ontario. A certified copy of birth registration is a copy of the original registration and:
- includes all details of the registration
- is endorsed as authentic by the Office of the Registrar General
- is printed on legal sized paper
- contains a raised seal for security and verification purposes
- contains any changes that have been made to the birth registration including any name changes and corrections of information
You can use a certified copy of birth registration to apply for ID that requires more detailed information, such as:
- adopting a child abroad
Its important to protect your personal and sensitive information not
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How To Request New York State Vital Record Certificates
Once you have retrieved information about the record you are seeking, you can obtain a copy of the vital record certificate by contacting either:
- The New York State Department of Health
- The local registrar or municipal clerk
What’s the difference?
- Requests to the New York State Department of Health can take at least eight months to process, but you will receive the official state record.
- Requests through a local registrar or municipal clerk are often answered sooner, but may not have all the information found on the state record.
Ordering a certificate from the New York State Department of Health
**Note: As of early 2020, researchers are experiencing very long wait times for genealogical records requests from the NYS Department of Health. We advise seeking records from local authorities or seeking vital record substitutes.**
The New York State Department of Health will provide uncertified copies in the following instances:
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Birth certificates can be requested after 75 years if the person whose name is on the birth certificate is known to be deceased.
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Death certificates can be requested after 50 years.
If you are a direct-line descendant , then these time periods are waived, but all researchers will need to provide:
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Proof of their relationship to the person whose record they are requesting.
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Proof of the death of the person whose birth certificate they are requesting.
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Proof of the death of both spouses whose marriage certificate they are requesting.
When To Use A Certified Copy Or A Photocopy
You will need to purchase a certified copy of the death certificate for tasks such as:
- Notifying the Social Security Administration and other government agencies
- Closing or transferring credit cards and bank accounts
- Claiming a persons life insurance or pension
You may only need a photocopy for other tasks, such as canceling a subscription. Check with the agency or organization handling each account.
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How To Request Pre
After over 80 years of discrimination, secrets and sealed records, on November 14, 2019, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation which allows adoptees to receive a copy of their pre-adoption birth certificate when they turn 18 years old.
Any adopted person born and adopted in New York state who is over the age of 18 may now access their pre-adoptive, original birth certificate . In addition, the new law allows OBC access for both direct line descendants of an adoptee who has passed and the lawful representative of the adopted person or their descendants.