How To Correct A Mistake
If you were born within the five boroughs of New York City, contact the Department of Health, Office of Vital Records at 212-639-9675 or 311 or email .
If you were born in New York but outside of New York City, contact the Department of Health, Vital Records Section, Correction Unit at 855-322-1022.
If you were born outside of New York, contact the vital statistics office in the State or area where you were born.
To correct the birth certificate of a child under 12 months of age, bring the original birth certificate with an application directly to the hospital where the child was born.
Catch Up On Your Reading
Over the past few years, we at Reclaim The Records had to file TWO different Freedom of Information lawsuits against @nycrecords to get the Kings County “Old Town” records released to the public — once as microfilms, then as digital files. We won BOTH lawsuits!
@RMcGreevy1301 @findmypast I agree. And the Irish National Archives have done a magnificent job both on the content and making it available for free. I can’t say enough. I would like to record my admiration of Catriona Crow for bringing this about. https://photopol.blogspot.com/2017/04/caitriona.html
Could not be prouder to have partnered with @MyFamilyGenie on finally solving the mystery of @jackieyoung36’s father. It was a privilege, Jackie. https://www.timesofisrael.com/uk-man-who-survived-concentration-camp-as-baby-finally-learns-his-familys-identity/
The new UI shows only “Featured libraries”, the ones that *pay* to subscribe to Worldcat, by default. The others are hidden under an “All libraries” tab, and those don’t have links to catalog records.
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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 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 holder’s estate.
If you need to get your driver’s 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 registrar’s raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored Seal, the registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s 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
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.
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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 considerable time 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: From 2020 to the present, researchers are experiencing very long wait times for genealogical records requests from the NYS Department of Health. The NYG& B is actively monitoring the situation. 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:
Requests can take eight months or longer to complete.
To submit your request, fill out the online form and send a completed copy by mail to:
Alternative: Contact the Local Registrar or Municipal Clerk
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.
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Montana Judge Blocks Anti
BILLINGS, Mont. A Montana judge has blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate.
District Court Judge Michael Moses chided attorneys for the state on Thursday over the rule.
He said it circumvented his April order that temporarily blocked a 2021 Montana law that made it harder to change birth certificates.
Moses said there was no question that the new rule recently adopted by the Montana Department of Health and Human Services violated his earlier order.
Moses said his ruling in April was clear as a bell.”
He even took it a step further by comparing their actions to a convicted person who tries changing their name to avoid prosecution for getting in trouble a third time.
Isnt that exactly what happened here? the judge asked. Im a bit offended the department thinks they can do anything they want.
Advocates for transgender rights say only Tennessee, Oklahoma, and West Virginia have sweeping prohibitions against birth certificate changes similar to what Montana has pursued.
Two years ago, Idaho and Ohio struck down such a ban.
Moses was asked to intervene by the ACLU of Montana after the state health department enacted the new temporary rule.
State officials denied it adopted the new rule in bad faith.
New York City Department Of Health And Mental Hygiene: More Recent Birth And Death Certificates
More recent collections of birth and death certificates in New York City are maintained by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene .
After a certain period of time, these records are transferred from DOHMH to the DORIS and stored at the Municipal Archives, where they can be accessed by any member of the public.
Currently, records are transferred to DORIS and made fully public on the following schedule:
- Birth Certificates: 125 years after the event
- Death Certificates: 75 years after the event
Researchers should note that this is a new rule that was passed relatively recently and took effect in 2019if youre interested, read more about our efforts to fight against it, and how we were able to secure an amendment to the rule.
Vital certificates that are still at the Department of Health can be accessed, but not by everyone.
Individuals with one of the following relationships to the subject of the certificate can obtain copies of birth records from DOHMH :
- Spouse/domestic partner
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New York City Municipal Archives: The Largest Collection Of Nyc Vital Records
March 2022 Update: The Municipal Archives released the majority of their birth, marriage, and death records online for free! Learn more about this big news and how to access.
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
New York State Department Of Health Can Provide Copies Of Birth Certificates For Individuals Born Outside Of New York Citys Five Boroughs
Who is eligible to obtain a birth certificate copy?
- The person named on the birth certificate
- A parent of the person named on the birth certificate whose name appears on the birth certificate
- A spouse, child or other person who has an order from a New York State Court to obtain a copy of a birth certificate
*For births in the five boroughs of New York City, contact the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Next Section
Also Check: Changing Gender On Birth Certificate
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.
New York City Birth Certificate Processing Times
When you are completing your application, be careful with all the details you enter, as all information must be accurate. You will have to include a valid copy of an official photo ID such as your drivers license, military ID, work ID, or passport, etc. As well as the payment to cover the processing fees.
The New York City Health Department usually takes between 4-6 weeks to process your application from the moment it has been received.
Although it is not currently possible to obtain an NYC birth certificate the same day, you can pay an additional fee for the rush service if you need the certificate urgently.
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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 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 1881 – 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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Introduction To New York Birth Marriage And Death Records
Official birth, marriage, and death recordsalso called vital recordsare crucial family history sources that every researcher should seek.
These deep and rich sources can provide names, relationships, locations, dates of events, and other essential details about your family.
Many states in the U.S. have well-organized and complete collections of vital recordsbut not New York!
For many reasons, finding vital records in New York State can be confusing and challenging. The purpose of this guide is to help clarify:
- Where to look for vital records, which depends on the time and place of the event
- How to find the vital record certificate number
- How to locate or request a copy of the vital record
New York State Death Certificates
To find a death certificate, researchers should begin by searching New York State’s index to all deaths beginning in 1880. Death indexes are made available after 50 years.
The NYG& B eLibrary contains images of the New York State Death Index, and images can also be found at Internet Archive.
The images in these collections are not searchable, but they are easy to browse by year, though the image quality of some years makes it difficult to read certain images.
Ancestry.com has a searchable database that also contains the same images as the collections above.
For more recent deaths, researchers should use New York State’s Interactive Ancestry/Genealogical Research Death Index, which begins with 1957 and contains deaths up to the current legal limit .
Again, these indexes do not cover several notable locations. New York City death records 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 death 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 death certificate number, you’re ready to request a copy.
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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.