How to obtain child birth certificate

Georgia Department of Public Health

A birth certificate is an official recording of a birth that occurred in the state of Georgia. It is used for a number of reasons including but not limited to:

establishing one’s identity
tax purposes
enrolling in school
applying for a driver’s license
obtaining health insurance

At the State Office of Vital Records, birth records are available from January 1919 to the present. For records older than 1919, please contact the county in which the birth occurred or the Georgia Archives.

How do you request a certified copy of a birth certificate?

You may request a certified copy of a birth certificate from your local county office or the State Office of Vital Records. This request can be made in person or by mail. You can also request certified copies online using one of our approved third-party vendors (GO Certificates, ROVER, and Vital Chek).

Request for Search of Birth (Form 3918)

Certificate Corrections

There are two types of corrections performed at the State Office of Vital Records.

Current Year Corrections (CYC): Current year corrections are defined as corrections made to the certificate within one year of the child’s birthday. There is no charge for current year corrections.

Affidavit for Current Year Correction

General Amendments: A general amendment is defined as a change that is made to a certificate after 1 year of age. Amendments can occur due to a legal name change, adoption, legitimation, adding of a spouse and/or paternity acknowledgement.

Affidavit for Amendment (Form 3977)
Certificate of Adoption (Form 3927)
Application for an Amended Certificate of Birth by Legitimation (Form 3929)
Affidavit for Adding a Spouse
Paternity Acknowledgement (Form 3940)
Court Ordered Delayed Certificate of Birth Form (PDF)
Delayed Certificate of Birth Form (PDF)
Out of Institution Birth Packet (PDF)
Rescission Statement Form (PDF)

Eligible Recipients

Birth Certificates are only issued to applicants having a direct and tangible interest to the registrant, i. e. immediate family members, and/or legal representatives of the family.

O.C.G.A. 31-10-26 (2010)

There are instances in which specific documentation is required based on who is requesting the record.

The person named on the certificate- If the person named on the certificate (i.e. the registrant) is the requestor, that person must provide valid photo identification at the time of the request.
The parent(s) named on the birth record- Must provide valid picture identification.
An authorized legal guardian or agent- Any person who has legal custody or control of a minor child must provide a certified copy of the court order establishing guardianship and legal custody.
Grandparents of the person named on the certificate- Must provide proof of relationship such as the birth certificate of the registrant’s parent.
An adult child or adult sibling of the person named on the certificate- Must provide proof of relationship by providing a copy of his or her birth certificate listing one of the same parents, along with his or her valid government issued picture identification which includes signature.
The spouse of the person named on the certificate- Must provide a copy of the marriage certificate, a photocopy of the spouse’s picture identification, which includes the spouse’s signature, with a notarized letter from the spouse giving permission.
Attorney- Must represent an immediate family member and provide a notarized letter on letterhead signed by the attorney; provide bar number indicating reason for the request and whom they represent; provide supporting documentation with the fee; provide a notarized release from the biological mother, in the event of an adoption.
State or Federal Government Officials- The State Registrar or the local custodian may disclose data from Vital Records to authorized representatives of Federal, State, or County agencies of government which request such data in the conduct of their official duties.

Page last updated 12/5/2022

How To Order Birth Records

Louisiana is a "closed record" state. This means that birth and death certificates are not public records. All requests for birth or death certificates must include proper identification, appropriate fees, and a completed application.

Who May Order A Birth Certificate:

The person named on the document
The current spouse of the person named on the document
Mother or father of the person named on the document
An adult child of the person named on the document
Sister/brother of the person named on the document
Grandmother or grandfather of the person named on the document
Grandchild of the person named on the document
An attorney representing one of the above with a signed contract of representation or authorization.

When another adult other than the legally entitled individuals listed above is requesting the record of a child, they must present a judgment of custody for the child. Notarized custody papers or provisional custody mandates are not acceptable.

You may also request Apostille copies of vital records.

There are three ways to obtain a certified copy of a Louisiana birth certificate:

IN PERSON

Vital Records Central Office

New Orleans VItal Records Walk-In Services are currently available by using VitalChek ordering and choosing the "Will Call" option for delivery. Customers will receive an email once the order has been processed and is ready to be picked up.

Walk-in Service Hours: 8:00 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. (excluding state holidays)

You may complete an application for a certified copy of a birth certificate, bring your photo identification and correct fees to the Vital Records Central Office. Walk-in services accepts cash, check, money order, and credit/debit cards as forms of payment.

Please fill out the application to obtain a certified birth certificate.

Clerks of Court

Participating Louisiana Clerks of Court offer certified copies of birth records (long and short form) at locations around the state. There is an additional fee for this service.

Vital Records Kiosks

Kiosk Service Locations Hours of Operation: 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. (excluding state holidays)

You may also order in person from a kiosk service location. Kiosk orders require the user to successfully complete an identity authentication screening. Once the kiosk order is placed, the order is shipped via USPS or expedited shipping, or made available for pickup at Vital Records Central Office. A security fee and shipping costs apply to kiosk orders.

MAIL

You may mail your completed request, a copy of your photo identification and correct fees to:

Vital Records Registry
PO Box 60630
New Orleans, LA 70160

Please complete the application to obtain a certified birth certificate and allow approximately 8-10 weeks for delivery.

INTERNET, FAX AND TELEPHONE

You may use a major credit card to place internet, fax or telephone orders through VitalChek Network, an authorized service provider. There are additional fees when using this service provider or requesting expedited services.

To order using the VitalChek Network, visit their website or call 1-877-605-8562.
If you have already placed a VitalChek Network order, you may also check the status.

To inquire about an order placed with VitalChek, please call 1-877-605-8562.

Louisiana Office of Public Health does not directly accept credit cards or online orders; however, for your convenience, you can process online requests through the independent company that we have partnered with above in order to provide you with this service, VitalChek Network, Inc. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express®, Discover®, MasterCard® or Visa®.

Useful information

After the birth of a child, parents must issue documents for the baby. They are needed not only to verify his identity, but will also be needed for the subsequent registration of all payments and benefits for him, receiving medical care and enrolling in kindergarten.
All documents are issued free of charge.

Birth certificate

nine0004 The first official document is the child's birth certificate. It must be issued within a month from the moment the baby is born.

The application can be submitted electronically through the Unified Portal of Public Services or at the MFC. You can also contact the registry office.

In this case, both parents, who are married, and the mother, who is not married to the father of the child, can submit an application.

The application must indicate the name, patronymic and surname of the child. If the parents have the same surname, the child will have the same, and if the surnames are different, the child can be given any of them or a double one. nine0003

The following documents must be attached to the application:

medical certificate of birth or statement of witness to childbirth outside the hospital;
parents' passports;
marriage certificate of the biological parents to record the father.

The certificate is issued on the same day. From March 2022, it can also be obtained electronically.

Registration of the child at the place of residence

You can register a child at the place of residence after issuing a birth certificate. To do this, you need to contact the territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the MFC. Or submit an electronic application on the Unified Portal of Public Services.

Attached to the application:

birth certificate;
parents' passports;
act of the guardianship authority on the appointment of a guardian, if one is appointed.

The territorial body of the Ministry of Internal Affairs issues a certificate of registration of the child. This is a separate document, additional stamps in other documents (in the birth certificate or parents' passport) do not need to be put.

The child is registered at the place of residence of the parents or one of them, if they are registered at different addresses.

If the parents do not own the entire apartment, but a share in it, it is not necessary to obtain the consent of other owners for the registration of a child under 14 years old. nine0003

One parent can apply for a certificate of registration of a child, the presence of the second is not required. In some cases, the consent of one of the parents to register the child may be required if they are not married or have different places of residence.

SNILS

SNILS is the insurance number of an individual personal account of a citizen in the system of compulsory pension insurance. It consists of 11 digits and each person has his own. This document will be needed by the child throughout his life: for registration of payments, benefits and other public services, for employment, formation of a pension, etc. nine0003

To apply for SNILS, parents may not visit the MFC or PFR in person. If one of them is registered on the Unified Portal of Public Services (has a verified account in the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA)), SNILS will be sent to his personal account.

If SNILS is lost, it is enough to go to the personal account of one of the parents. For the provision of services, a paper document is not required, it is important to know the SNILS number. nine0003

Families that have adopted a child draw up SNILS in the same manner, since only the adoptive parents themselves can provide all the necessary information.

CHI policy

A compulsory health insurance policy (CHI) is needed to apply for medical services. Before issuing a birth certificate, the child receives medical assistance under the mother's MHI policy; after issuing the certificate, the child must issue his own policy. nine0003

To do this, you need to choose an insurance company and apply for a policy.

You can also apply at any convenient MFC.

Article 16. Application for the birth of a child \ ConsultantPlus

Article 16. Application for the birth of a child

and municipal services, which are empowered in accordance with paragraph 2.2 of Article 4 of this Federal Law, or send an application for the birth of a child in the form of an electronic document through a single portal of state and municipal services and regional portals of state and municipal services. The application for the birth of a child, which is sent in the form of an electronic document, is signed with a simple electronic signature of the applicant. nine0003

(as amended by Federal Laws No. 517-FZ of December 31, 2014, No. 438-FZ of December 29, 2017)

(see the text in the previous edition)

about the birth of a child, a statement about the birth of a child can be made by a relative of one of the parents or another person authorized by the parents (one of the parents) or an official of a medical organization or an official of another organization in which the mother was during childbirth or the child is. nine0003

3. Simultaneously with the submission of an application for the birth of a child, a document confirming the fact of the birth of a child must be submitted, as well as documents proving the identity of the parents (one of the parents) or the identity of the applicant and confirming his authority, and documents that are the basis for entering information about the father in the record of the birth of the child.

4. If the birth of a child is confirmed by a statement from a person who was present during the birth, such a statement must be submitted to the civil registry office or the multifunctional center for the provision of state and municipal services, which is empowered in accordance with paragraph 2. 2 of article 4 of this Federal Law, in accordance with the rules established by paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 14 of this Federal Law. nine0003

(as amended by Federal Law No. 438-FZ of December 29, 2017)

(see the text in the previous edition)

ConsultantPlus: note.

P. 5 Art. 16 (as amended by the Federal Law of December 19, 2022 N 538-FZ) regarding the presence of a registered marriage, citizenship of the Russian Federation does not apply if the surrogate mother is already pregnant or has given birth to a child on December 19, 2022 in accordance with the contract specified in part 9 of Art. 55 FZ of November 21, 2011 N 323-FZ (as amended, in force until December 19, 2022).

5. Upon state registration of the birth of a child at the request of the spouses or a single woman specified in paragraph two of clause 4 and clauses 5 and 6 of Article 51 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, who consented to the implantation of an embryo in another woman for the purpose of its bearing and birth, simultaneously with a document confirming the fact of the birth of a child must be submitted a document issued by a medical organization and confirming the fact that the consent of the woman who gave birth to the child (surrogate mother) was obtained for the recording of these persons by the parents of the child.