If You Were Born In Illinois
If you were born in Illinois, it is sometimes easiest to go through Illinois Department of Public Health and not an Illinois County to get a copy of your birth certificate.
To get a certified copy of your birth certificate through IDPH, use the Application for search of birth record files. You will need to provide an ID, like a drivers license . There may also be a $10 fee.
There is no fee if one of the following has just happened to you:
- Release from incarceration on parole,
- Mandatory supervised release,
- Final discharge, or
- Pardon from the Illinois Department of Corrections.
To avoid a fee, you will need to provide a verification form from the Illinois Department of Corrections. It must show your date of birth and social security number.
Effective August 3, 2018, there is no fee if one of the following has just happened to you:
- Placed on aftercare release under the Juvenile Court Act of 1987,
- Release from incarceration on parole,
- Mandatory supervised release,
- Final discharge, or
- Pardon from the Department of Juvenile Justice.
To avoid a fee, you will need to provide a verification form from the Department of Juvenile Justice. It must show your date of birth and social security number.
Effective January 1, 2019, there is no fee if you are a youth in care or a person under the age of 27 who was a youth in care, as defined in the Children and Family Services Act, on or after his or her 18th birthday.
If you live in Cook County
In Cook County, there is no fee if you:
How To Access Vital Records In Cook County
To obtain a copy of your birth certificate or marriage certificate, simply bring a drivers license or state ID card to your local West Suburban Currency Exchange. Individuals under 18 will need a parent with a drivers license or state ID to accompany them.
Any family member of the deceased can obtain a death certificate at WSCE. Like other vital records, youll need to provide a drivers license or state ID to receive a copy of the death certificate. WSCE can help facilitate this process and provide additional support as needed.
WSCE is here to help you get the vital records you need in a timely and efficient manner. When we receive a request for records, we work directly with the appropriate government office, typically the Division of Vital Records within the Illinois Department of Public Health, to obtain your records.
Next, your documents are delivered to our location. Typically they will be available for pickup after 3-4 business days.
Who Is Eligible To Apply
Under state law, citizens 18 years of age or older may legally obtain a certified copy of their own Cook County, Illinois birth certificate.
A parent can obtain the Cook County birth certificate of their child as long as they are listed as a parent on the child’s birth certificate.
Court-appointed legal guardians must submit a certified copy of the appointment to request a birth certificate copy of the certificate bearer.Third parties or legal representatives ordering a Cook County birth certificate are required to provide a court order.
Also Check: Certificate Of Liability Insurance Cost
How To Get An Official Cook County Birth Certificate
To order an official copy of a Cook County birth certificate:
Copies of Cook County Birth and Death Certificates may be ordered by posting your application package to the following address:
Illinois Department of Public HealthDivision of Vital Records925 E. Ridgely AvenueSpringfield, IL 62702-2737
Alternatively, those who wish to have their order filled at the county level, rather than the state level, may send their package to the following address.:
Cook County Clerk’s OfficeP.O. Box 641070Chicago, IL 60664-1070
Ordering a Cook County, Illinois birth certificate online is quick and easy. The Cook County birth certificate application form takes no more than 10 minutes to complete, and we provide personalized instructions to help you complete it without a hassle.
Once your Chicago, Cook County birth certificate replacement application has been processed, you will receive an official copy of your vital record at home.
You may order a certified copy of a Cook County birth certificate on behalf of another person, as long as you are eligible.
Cook County Clerk’s Office50 W. Washington, Suite CL-25Chicago, IL 60602
Cook County Birth Certificate Cost
When ordering a copy of a Chicago, or Cook County, Illinois birth certificate, it is necessary to pay the appropriate search fee.
The filing fee of each copy of a Cook County, Illinois birth certificate is $15. An additional $3 postage fee will be charged to mail certificates back to the applicants address.
It is advisable to order several copies using the same birth certificate application form. Additional copies can be kept on file ready for future use. Extra copies of the same Cook County birth certificate ordered within a single form carry a cost of $2 per document.
Please note checks are not accepted to cover Cook County birth certificate fees.
Read Also: Certificate Of Deposit Wells Fargo
What Is In This Collection
This collection consists of a name index to births for Chicago and Cook County, Illinois. It covers the years 1871 to 1940. For copies of certificates for this time period please contact Cook County Clerk.
Early records were kept in register books beginning in 1877. By the early 1900s most events were recorded on pre-printed forms. Legislation in 1819 required physicians to record births and deaths for their practices. Then the physicians transmitted the information to their medical society, which published the information in the newspapers. In 1843 a law was passed where relatives of a deceased person could appear before the clerk of the county commissioners court and report information regarding the death. The recording of vital records was voluntary until 1877 so few births and deaths were recorded. A fire in 1871 destroyed the Cook County Courthouse and nearly all previous records housed there. The few existing originals that were created by the county clerk may be found in the county clerks office or in one of the Illinois Regional Archives Depositories .
How To Request An Apostille For A Cook County Birth Certificate
Citizens born in Chicago or the rest of Cook County, IL, who need to use their birth certificate outside the United States, need to authenticate their document to provide it with legal validity abroad.
Authenticating a Cook County birth certificate is done by obtaining an apostille. This can be done by following 2 simple steps:
Illinois Authentications Unit street address:
Illinois Secretary of State’s OfficeIndex Department,111 E Monroe St,Springfield, IL 62756
You May Like: Do I Need An Ssl Certificate
Find Cook County Birth Records
Cook County Birth Records are documents relating to an individual’s birth in Cook County, Illinois. These can include Cook County birth certificates, birth indexes, and birth databases. Some states may also have paternity registries and affidavits of parentage for children born to single parents. Birth Records are kept by Vital Records Offices or the Cook County Clerk’s Offices, which may be run by the Illinois state government or at the local Cook County level.
Learn about Birth Records, including:
- Where to get free Birth Records online
- How to access the Illinois birth index
- What information is included in birth databases
- How to get certified copies of Cook County birth certificates
- What birth records are used for
I Can’t Find The Person I’m Looking For What Now
- Check for variant spellings of the surnames
- Search the indexes and records of nearby counties
- If you know their religion, search for a church record of the birth
- There may be more than one person in the records with the same name
- Your ancestor may have used different names, or variations of their name, throughout their life
- Even though these indexes are very accurate they may still contain inaccuracies, such as altered spellings, misinterpretations, and optical character recognition errors if the information was scanned
You May Like: Utah Certificate Of Good Standing
Free Cook County Birth Certificate Copy
Cook County birth certificate fees are waived for citizens in any of the following situations:
- Living in a domestic violence shelter
- Formerly incarcerated & released in last 90 days
To obtain a fee waiver for Cook County birth certificates, the application form must be submitted with verification from a parole release form or a status certification form completed by an approved human services provider.
Cook County Birth / Marriage / Death Certificates
Ah, life. Its full of monumental occasions. Some of them bring tears of joy, others tears of sadness. But no matter which major life event you find yourself a part of, you can rest easy knowing that weve got you covered on the paperwork. Swing by any of our locations to snag yourself certified copies of birth, marriage, or death certificates for Cook County.
Don’t Miss: Basic Cardiac Life Support Certification
Cook County Birth Certificate Processing Times
On average, Cook County birth certificate applications are filled within 20 working days.
Once you have mailed the complete Cook County birth certificate application package, along with the requirements detailed above and the necessary fees, the vital records office will process your request.
You will then receive your certified copy of the Cook County, Illinois IL birth certificate delivered .
Cook County citizens in urgent need of a certified copy of a birth certificate may submit their application in person.
To get a Cook birth certificate copy in person:
Although this usually requires waiting in line for hours, it may result in same-day delivery if the birth record is found on file.
Us Birth Certificates Will Continue Operating During The Covid
Some government offices remain closed, or are only open for appointments, however online and mail applications are accepted as normal. This allows our vital records services to continue without interruption. Processing times have improved and most vital records offices are now operating as usual. Your vital record request will be processed and delivered as quickly as possible. We will keep you updated on any changes.
Legal Disclaimer: US Birth Certificates is a privately owned website that is not affiliated with, not owned or operated by any government agency. US Birth Certificates is an independent preparer that provides vital records application preparation assistance services. If you are looking for blank forms, you can get them for free at the relevant state office.
If your Cook County, Illinois birth certificate got lost, stolen, or was misplaced or destroyed even partially you will need to get a Cook County birth certificate replacement.
The most convenient way to get a legally-valid copy of a Cook County, IL or other Illinois vital records is to order online, eliminating the need to wait in line at a vital statistics office.
Also Check: Free Gift Certificate Printable Template
About Vital Records From Cook County Clerk’s Office
COOK COUNTY VITAL RECORDSThe Cook County Clerk’s Office issues certified copies of Cook County birth certificates, Cook County death certificates and Cook County marriage records for events that occurred in Cook County, Illinois. You may order copies of Cook County 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.
Certified Copies Of Birth Certificates Available
For $10 for the first copy of a birth certificate and $2 for each additional copy of the same certificate requested at the same time, you will obtain a birth certificate with the following items: childs name date of birth sex place of birth mother/co-parents maiden name mother/co-parents place of birth mother/co-parents age father/co-parents name father/co-parents place of birth father/co-parents age file date date issued and state file number.
For $15 for the first copy of a birth certificate and $2 for each additional copy of the same certificate requested at the same time, you will obtain a birth certificate with information collected at the time of your birth .
Other Certificates:
You May Like: Birth Certificate From New York
Birth Marriage & Death Certificates
If you need to obtain Cook County vital records, theres no need to make a trip to the Division of Vital Records in Springfield or the Cook County Clerks Office. Instead, you can simply visit your local West Suburban Currency Exchange. Well process your request quickly and have your records to you in no time.
WSCE makes it easy to get the vital records you need, whether you live in Cook County or one of the surrounding communities. We can also help you obtain records from other counties in Illinois. The next time you need Cook County birth certificates, death records, or marriage certificates, remember that WSCE is here to help.
What You Need To Provide
In order to request a copy of a birth certificate you must complete the form Application for Search of Birth Record Files. To learn more, see FORMS located in the right-hand column. Completely fill out the form. Submit it with the following information:
A valid government issued photo identification that must be readable and is not expired/out of date .
To learn more about valid IDs, see Resources
To learn more about the required costs/fees, see Resources
Recommended Reading: Los Angeles County Recorder Birth Certificate
How To Find Chicago Birth Certificates
Due to Chicago Fire losses, civil birth records for Chicago are not available before late 1871. Look for birth information in alternate sources like the ones listed below.
- Baptismal records
- Pension records
- Probate records
From 1871-1877, Chicago birth records are found in register books. For detailed information about these records, including additional search tips, please see Chicago Birth Registers, 1871-1915 on the right.
Search an Index
Begin your search for Chicago Birth Register entries using the free Illinois, Cook County Birth Registers, 1871-1915 index at FamilySearch. Many early entries do not include children’s given name. You may need to search using parent names, including the mother’s maiden name.
Locate the Record
If you find an index match, click on the name to view additional information.
If you are at a family history center or an affiliate library, you should see a link which will allow you to view/save the corresponding record image.
If you are at home, you will see an “Image Unavailable” message. You can visit a family history center or an affiliate library to access the record image or request a copy of the image using the Family History Library Record Lookup Service form.
If You Don’t Find an Index Match
If you find birth register index entries for births 1878-1915, look for the original birth certificate instead of the birth register pages . Follow the instructions listed under the 1878-1922 tab.
Search an Index
Locate the Record
In a Nutshell
About Cook County Illinois Us Birth Certificates Index 1871
This database contains an index of details extracted from Cook County, Illinois, birth records.
Whats in the Index
This index was extracted from Cook County birth certificates and registers held by the Illinois Department of Public Health. Though legislation requiring that births and deaths be registered in Illinois was not passed until 1877, Cook County began recording births, marriages, and deaths after the Great Fire in 1871. Responsibility for registration was assigned to local registrars in 1915, which led to improved reporting.
While details may vary based on information required on the original and whether the form was filled out completely, entries in this index may list
- fathers name, age, birthplace
- mothers name, age, birthplace
- FHL film number
The FHL film number refers to a microfilm copy of the source held by the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Don’t Miss: Birth Certificate In Los Angeles
Illinois Vital Records Offices
The following is a complete list of Vital Records and Public Health offices that can provide birth certificate copies in Illinois.
Keep in mind that the Cook County Clerks office may sometimes process requests faster than the state vital records office. However, the fees may vary as well, so please inquire about the exact amount due wherever you decide to submit your Cook County birth certificate application.
-
118 N. Clark, Room 120 Chicago, IL 60602
-
421 N. County Farm RoadWheaton, IL 60187
-
Illinois Dept. Of Public HealthDivision Of Vital Records, 925 E Ridgely AvenueSpringfield, IL 62702-5097
-
5 E. Downer Pl., Suite FAurora, IL 60505
-
County Court House, 18 North County StreetWaukegan, IL 60085
-
North Main Street, Rm # 109Edwardsville, IL 62025
-
404 Elm Street, Room #103Rockford, IL 61101
Birth Records Or Death Certificates From The Cook County Clerk’s Office
The Cook County Clerk’s office serves as the official record keeper for births, marriages and deaths that occur in Chicago and suburban Cook County. The Clerk’s Bureau of Vital Statistics division provides copies of these documents for eligible individuals upon request.
The Clerk’s office also issues marriage licenses to couples who are getting married and administers the county’s domestic partnership registry for same-sex couples.
In addition, the Clerk’s office certifies notary public commissions approved by the Illinois Secretary of State and the names of businesses that operate under a name other than that of its owner.
Get Vital Records Online
Recommended Reading: Art Therapy Certification Online Course