Idaho · Certified copy
Idaho Birth Certificate: Order a Certified Copy Online
We prepare your application and file it with the Vital Records Unit, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. The office mails the certified copy to you.
- Secure payment
- Encrypted data
- Email support
- Private service — not a government agency
Idaho at a glance
- Issuing office
- Vital Records Unit, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
- Who can order
- 12 relationships · see the list
- Standard processing
- 30–35 Business Days
- What you need
- Photo ID, names, date and place of birth, parents' names
- Expedited processing
- 20–25 Business Days
- Proof of relationship
- Required for some relationships
A certified copy is the document most agencies accept for a passport, a driver's license, school enrollment or benefits. Idaho issues it for births recorded in the state.
Idaho birth certificate: Boise orders go to the state by mail or online
Idaho releases a birth certificate to someone with a direct and tangible interest: the registrant, a spouse, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling, a legal guardian, an authorized representative, or a person protecting a property right. The state vital records unit has no public counter, so orders from Boise and everywhere else arrive online or by mail.
Direct and tangible interest under Idaho Code 39-270
Idaho's authorization guide spells out who qualifies. Family means the spouse, children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers and sisters. Legal guardians may be asked for their papers. Authorized representatives include an attorney, a physician, a funeral director, a legally designated agent and an organization delivering benefits to the registrant. When no close relative survives, the next of kin can apply, and anyone holding an Idaho court order qualifies. Stepfamily, nieces, nephews and unmarried partners are left out unless they show a property right.
Boise, Ada County and the public health districts
Unlike states that print certificates at county counters, Idaho handles every birth record centrally. Ada County's directory sends Boise residents to state Vital Records, and Central District Health does not list a vital records service. The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics holds births from July 1911, and it has no public counter, so requests come in online or by mail. For births between 1907 and 1911, the county recorder may hold the record.
Certified copy or certified photocopy
Idaho issues two certified products and calls both valid for most legal purposes. The certified copy is a computer-generated certificate. The certified photocopy is an exact image of the record on file, which can help when an agency abroad or a genealogist wants to see the original entries. The request form asks for the registrant's name, the date and city of birth, and each parent's name including the parent's last name at birth, along with your relationship and purpose.
Signed photo ID, or a notarized signature
Idaho accepts one signed photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport, tribal ID, concealed weapons permit or prison ID, or two items from its secondary list as long as one carries your signature. If you have none of those, you can have your signature on the request notarized and send it promptly, or an immediate family member with acceptable ID can order the certificate instead. Records become public a hundred years after the birth.
Adoptees, paternity and late registrations
After an adoption Idaho issues a new certificate and seals the original. Adoptees eighteen or older can obtain the original certificate and sealed file once they register with the state's voluntary adoption registry, and a matched birth parent may record a contact preference or ask for a temporary name redaction. A father is added by a notarized voluntary acknowledgment; if the mother was married, her husband also signs a denial. Late registrations are sworn before a notary and need two documents when filed within seven years of the birth, or three after that.
How it works when you order with BirthChek
Our Idaho form offers the relationships the authorization guide lists. Guardians, legal representatives and other applicants upload their supporting papers when they order, because Idaho will ask for them. You enter each parent's last name at birth, upload your signed ID and sign, and BirthChek files the request with the Idaho Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics.
Facts checked October 24, 2026 against the sources below.
Sources
- Ordering a birth certificate — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare – Vital Records
- About birth records — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare – Vital Records
- Who may order a certificate (authorization guide) — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare – Vital Records
- Birth certificate request form — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare – Vital Records
- Acceptable identification — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare – Vital Records
- Idaho Code §39-270: records disclosure — Idaho Legislature
- Idaho Code §39-258: adoption records — Idaho Legislature
- Where to write for vital records: Idaho — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Where to get a Idaho birth certificate: state and local offices
Certified copies for births recorded in Idaho are issued by the Vital Records Unit, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
We take orders for births anywhere in Idaho, including Boise.
Who can order a Idaho birth certificate
- You, the person named
- Child
- Father
- Grandchild
- Grandparent
- Guardian · proof needed
- Legal Representative · proof needed
- Mother
- Other · proof needed
- Sibling
- Spouse
- My relationship is not listed · proof needed
Relationships marked "proof needed" must send proof of the relationship with the application; we tell you what counts after you order.
If your relationship is not listed, the office may refuse the application or ask for a court order.
Reasons to request a Idaho birth certificate
- Adoption (International)
- Adoption (US Only)
- Driver's License
- Dual Citizenship/Immigration
- Employment
- Genealogy/Family History
- Government Assistance/Benefits
- Housing
- Identification
- Income Tax
- Inheritance/Estate Settlement
- Insurance
- Legal Purposes
- Marriage (International)
- Marriage (US Only)
- Passport
- Personal Records/Use
- Proof of Parentage
- Retirement
- School
- Social Security Card/Benefits
- Sports
- Stillbirth
- Travel
What you need to order a Idaho birth certificate
- A photo ID: driver's license, state ID, passport or military ID
- Full name on the certificate and date of birth
- City or county of birth
- Both parents' names, including the mother's maiden name
- A debit or credit card
- Proof of your relationship, for the relationships marked above
Prefer to order directly? Find the office in the CDC directory
Ready to order your Idaho birth certificate?
About ten minutes. Have your photo ID nearby.