Next Step: When Did The Birth Occur
- Choose a time period:
New York Baptisms 1660-1862 | Available at findmypast.com . |
In 1847, New York State passed a law requiring that doctors and midwives report births, marriages, and deaths to the trustees of local school districts. Due to the complexities of this law, it quickly fell into disfavor and few communities reported births after 1850 . Extant records for this time period are either held by the local village, town, or city clerk or by the county clerk.
PART A: You know the village, town, or city of birth
Try 1st: Determine if the records from your village, town, city, or county have been microfilmed by FamilySearch. Search the Catalog for both village/town/city and county and then locate any available copies at your local family history center.
Try 2nd: Order a copy of the birth record from the village, town, or city clerk. To locate contact information, search for the village, town, or city in the FamilySearch Research Wiki. Note that in some counties the county clerk holds all birth records for this time period.
If you do not want to order the birth record, you can search other records with birth information.
PART B: You do not know the village, town, or city of birth
If you do not know the village, town, or city of birth, learn more about the family using census, land, probate, and church records.
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Authentication By The County Clerk
Authentication of the Record: Documents to be submitted for apostille or certificate of authentication must be authenticated by the County Clerk or a state official. This is the second step in the process. A birth or death certificate must bear a letter of exemplification. A request for authentication must be presented to the County Clerks Notary Desk at 60 Centre Street, Room 141B. The request may also be submitted to the County Clerk by mail if the documents are in proper order, the County Clerk will authenticate them and return them to the applicant by mail. The submission by mail must be accompanied by a certified personal check or U.S. postal order, payable to the County Clerk of New York County, in the amount of $3.00. No other form of payment will be accepted through the mails. Payment of the $3.00 fee in person may be made in cash or by credit card . Mail applications must include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for return of the documents by the County Clerk. The County Clerk does not have facilities to return documents by delivery service or postal express mail so the applicant should plan accordingly and submit the proper postage to ensure trouble-free return.
Who Can Apply For A Nyc Birth Certificate
As we mentioned above, to get an authorized copy of a New York City birth certificate, the person must be eligible. The following are eligible people who can get a certified birth certificate in NYC:
- 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 holders 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, the registrars signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrars office.
Once your application package is completed you will need to mail it to:
NYC Health Department125 Worth Street, CN4, Rm. 133New York, NY 10013
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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:
Obtaining Birth Certificates For Deceased Relatives From Ny State

New York State requires a court order to obtain any birth or death certificates for deceased relatives. People want these birth certificates for a variety of reasons but I was looking to obtain my Grandfathers birth certificate in order to qualify for Italian Dual Citizenship . Seeking assistance from a lawyer will always be the best route to take, however, many people have succeeded going through this process by themselves.
1) Exhaust all other options when trying to find your relatives birth or death certificate. Check with family members and follow any leads you can. This will generally be easier than filing a court order with New York State to obtain the relevant documentation. If your relative was born or died in New York City, youll want to start with with NYC Health as it should be an easier process.
2) Prepare documents: Youll need a Petition, Notice of Petition and Draft Order. You can download the templates below
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New York Birth Certificate Cost
Anyone can apply for their New York State birth certificate at any time. When requesting a certified or an informational copy of a birth certificate, applicants must cover the cost of each copy they request. The fee for a certified copy of your birth certificate is $30 per copy.
If you require an extra copy or your New York State birth certificate, you may request them by paying the fee of $30 for each copy you need. Keep in mind the benefit of applying for a birth certificate online. You can obtain it without having to visit the vital records office not wait in long lines.
Births From 1847 Thru 1849
In 1847, New York State passed a law requiring that doctors and midwives report births, marriages, and deaths to the trustees of local school districts. Due to the complexities of this law, it quickly fell into disfavor and few communities reported births after 1850 . Most records that exist for this time period have been collected by the New York City Municipal Archives.
Try 1st: | New York City Birth Databases Includes Index and some images |
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New And Expectant Parents
Parents receive a free birth certificate for newborns about four weeks after birth. Your baby’s birth certificate will be based on information you provide at the hospital when you deliver. It will be automatically mailed to the parents listed on the certificate.
At the hospital, you will be asked to fill out a Mother/Parent Worksheet . You can complete this ahead of time and bring it to the hospital or give it to your midwife. The worksheet collects important information and helps your baby get a Social Security Card.
Be careful when you fill out your babys full name and your mailing address. Correcting a birth certificate can cost money or even require a trip to court. A mistake in the mailing address can delay delivery.
An Acknowledgment of Parentage is a document that unmarried parents must both sign voluntarily to establish the child’s legal father/parent.
Certified copies of an Acknowledgment of Parentage are free of charge. Complete the New York State Acknowledgment of Parentage application and submit by mail or in person.
Issuance Of Apostille Or Certificate Of Authentication
The third step in the process is the issuance of the apostille or certificate of authentication by the New York State Department of State. An application form must be completed. The documents in question, properly authenticated, must be attached and a fee paid. The fee is $10.00 per apostille or certificate. For access to the application form, information on acceptable payment methods, and other information, see www.dos.state.ny.us .
The documents may be submitted to the Department of State in person at the following address:
New York State Department of StateDivision of Licensing Services
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How To Find And Request Birth Records Online In New York
New York does not provide a way for the public to find birth records online. However, there are several ways to request a birth record in the state. Ordering a record online is the quickest and most convenient way to request a copy of a birth record. New York State does not directly provide online access for requesters to obtain birth records. The state uses a third-party vendor to provide access to birth records. For persons born in New York City, the New York City Health Department also uses a third-party vendor to allow requesters to request birth records online.
Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:
- The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
- The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.
While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.
Official Verification Of Name
To obtain a marriage license in New York City , a person should go to theCity Clerk of the City of New York on the first floor at 80 Centre Street in Manhattan, whichis located on Foley Square in lower Manhattan, near the entrance to the Brooklyn Bridgeand near City Hall Park. On the Lexington Avenue subway line, one would get off atBrooklyn Bridge on the express.
For various purposes , individuals may be required to obtain official, authenticated proof of name, birth, marriage, etc. The authentication certifies the signature and capacity of the official who executed the document. The New York Secretary of State authenticates public documents for use in foreign countries. One such proof is known as an apostille, which is issued pursuant to the 1961 Hague Convention Abolishing Requirement of Legislation for Foreign Public Documents. A certificate of authentication is issued to authenticate public documents for use in countries that are not signatories to the 1961 Hague Convention. The documents in question must be public documents issued in New York State and signed by a notary public, a County Clerk, or a State official. The necessity for an apostille or certificate of authentication is determined by the foreign country or destination.
The procedures for obtaining an apostille or certificate of authentication, a three-step process, are as follows:
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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.
How Do I Get My Birth Certificate Copy From New York State

Getting an authorized copy of your birth certificate is now a much easier process, as you are no longer required to go in person to a vital records office. If you live in a different state other than New York, but you were born in this state, applying for your birth certificate online will save you a lot of time and hassle.
If you were born in New York State, it is likely that the original copy of your birth certificate is at a vital records office. New York State has vital records offices, they are located in: Suffolk County, Nassau County, Westchester County, Erie County, and, Monroe County.
New York City and its five boroughs have vital records offices, as well as the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Yonkers, Syracuse.
If you need to get an authorized copy, you can do so by applying online and completing all mandatory sections on the application form.
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Who Is Eligible Order A Certified Marriage Record
People eligible to get a marriage certificate:
- Other people who have a:
- documented judicial or other proper purpose
- New York State Court Order
If you are not a spouse, you must document a judicial or other proper purpose. For example, you may need a marriage certificate to claim a benefit. You would need an official letter from the agency saying that you need the marriage record to process the claim.
What identification needs to be submitted by the applicant?
Application must be submitted with copies of either A or B:
Walk-in Services ARE CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Third Party Pickup
We do not encourage third party pickups. If you are unable to come to our office yourself, we recommend that you order your certificate by mail or via internet or telephone. More information about third party pickup.
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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About Vital Records From New York City Dept Of Health And Mental Hygiene
NEW YORK CITY VITAL RECORDSThe New York City Department of Health, Office of Vital Records issues certified copies of New York City birth certificates and New York City death certificates for events that occurred in the five boroughs of New York City . For earlier records, contact the Municipal Archives at 311 or NEW-YORK if outside of New York City. Their address is 31 Chambers Street, Room 103, New York, NY 10007.
New York City divorce records must be ordered through New York State Vital Records. You may order copies of New York City birth and death certificates 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.