If you were born in the United States:
- You must contact the Vital Records Office for your home state for specific instructions and possible fees.
- In case you need to get your birth certificate fast, you may be able to contact the office and have them speed up the process.
- FOR NEW YORK STATE
- Costs $30 to get a copy (If you are writing a personal check or a money order to pay this fee, make it out to New York State Department of Health)
- Address: Certification Unit, Vital Records Section/2nd floor, 800 North Pearl Street, Menands, NY 12204
- FOR NEW YORK CITY
- Costs $15 to get a copy
- Address: NYC Health Department, Office of Vital Records, 125 Worth Street, CN4, Rm. 133, New York, NY 10013
- If you decide to mail in your application for a birth certificate copy in New York City, be prepared that it may take up to 30 days
- For other states, go to http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/index.htm
If you were born on a Military Base or abroad but are still a U.S. citizen:
- If you were born in a different country to American parents, they should have gone to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate to get what is called a Consular Report of Birth Abroad
- You may need to say the country that you were born in
- Costs $50 to get a new copy (If you write a check, make it out to “Department of State”)
- Mail to: Department of State Passport Vital Records Section, 44132 Mercure Cir., PO Box 1213, Sterling, VA 20166-1213
- Valid ID
- Required information:
- Full name
- Place of birth and date
- If you were adopted, your adoptive name
- Any passport info if you have one
- Your parents’ full names
- If you know your serial number of the FS-240
- Signature
- Mailing address
- Contact number
- Legal Guardian(s) Only: A copy of the court order that proves you are the guardian
- Takes 4 to 6 weeks
If you were born abroad and then adopted by a U.S. citizen:
For more information, go to https://www.usa.gov/replace-vital-documents