How to Get a Copy of Your Birth Certificate — the Official Route

General information only — not legal advice. Each state's office sets its own requirements and fees.

The key idea

Your birth state holds your record. If you were born in the U.S., you order from the state or territory where you were born, even if you live in a different state now.

The copy used for official purposes is a certified copy. This page is about getting a certified copy of a U.S. birth certificate.

The federal government does not distribute certificates, files, or indexes with identifying information for vital records.

Steps if you were born in the U.S.

  1. Be ready to name the city and county where you were born. You will need to know the city and county where you were born.
  2. Find the state or area where the birth occurred. The CDC's “Where to Write for Vital Records” directory works this way: first determine the state or area where the birth occurred, then use that state or area's information. The directory links to individual state and territory offices.
  3. Contact the vital records office of the state or territory where you were born. The record is held by the birth state, so you order from there even if you live in a different state now.
  4. Ask that office how to order. Your birth state or territory's vital records office can tell you how to order a certified copy online, by mail, or in person, how to get a copy fast, and the cost for each certified copy.

Born outside the U.S.?

For U.S. citizens born abroad, the U.S. embassy or consulate in the birth country issued a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) if the parents reported the birth to them.

The CRBA serves the same purpose as a U.S. birth certificate.

Replacements are handled through the U.S. Department of State.

Lost all your IDs?

If you have lost all your IDs, check with your birth state's vital records office for what it requires.

Most states have another way to verify your identification, such as your sworn statement of identity, or a notarized letter and a copy of the photo ID from the mother or father listed on your birth certificate.

If you cannot get a copy of your birth certificate, USA.gov suggests trying to replace your driver's license first.

Sources

Checked November 2026