New Hampshire · Certified copy
New Hampshire Birth Certificate: Order a Certified Copy Online
We prepare your application and file it with the Division of Vital Records Administration, New Hampshire Department of State. The office mails the certified copy to you.
- Secure payment
- Encrypted data
- Email support
- Private service — not a government agency
New Hampshire at a glance
- Issuing office
- Division of Vital Records Administration, New Hampshire Department of State
- Who can order
- 19 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
- 3–5 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. New Hampshire issues it for births recorded in the state.
New Hampshire birth certificate: any town clerk, from Manchester to Nashua
New Hampshire releases a birth certificate to people with a direct and tangible interest, and its immediate family runs from parents and grandparents to great-grandchildren, stepfamily, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. Any of the 234 city and town clerks can issue a birth from 1935 onward, except births in 1949 and 1950.
Immediate family under RSA 5-C
New Hampshire's statute defines immediate family generously: mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister, husband, wife, grandparents, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, stepparents, stepchildren, aunts, uncles, nephews and nieces. Cousins are not included. A legal guardian and a legal representative, such as an attorney, physician, funeral director or other authorized agent, can also order, as can someone who needs the record to protect a personal or property right and genealogists authorized by the family. Anyone outside the family sends a letter documenting the claim, and an attorney names the client.
Which clerk can issue, and the 1949 and 1950 gap
Births from 1935 to the present can be issued by any city or town clerk in New Hampshire, so a person born in Manchester can order in Nashua or Concord. Births in 1949 and 1950 are the exception and must be ordered from the town of birth or the state. For births before 1935, go to the town where the birth happened or to the Division of Vital Records Administration, whose genealogy room holds records back to 1640.
Photo ID, or two documents
Applicants show positive photo identification, such as a driver's license, a non-driver ID, a passport, a green card or another government photo ID. Without one, send copies of two documents in your name, one showing your current mailing address; a bank statement, a car registration, a lease, a pay stub, a tax return, a utility bill and a voter card are among those accepted. The application asks whether you need an apostille, and a false statement on it is a felony. A notary is needed only for special letters, such as an affidavit giving an unrelated person access.
Heirloom certificates and records a century old
Besides the certified copy, the state sells a decorative 11 by 14 heirloom certificate. It is ordered only from the state division, only by people with a direct and tangible interest, and it cannot be used as proof of identity or citizenship. Birth records more than a hundred years old are in the public domain.
Adoptees, paternity and amendments
Adoptees eighteen or older who were born in New Hampshire can obtain a non-certified copy of their original birth record from the state division, together with any contact preference or medical history form a birth parent filed; their legal representative and immediate legal family may also apply. A father is added through a notarized affidavit of paternity, and legitimation uses a form with a certified marriage record. Amendments are filed with the clerk of the town where the birth occurred on a notarized form with two pieces of evidence, and an adult registrant must approve changes others request.
How it works when you order with BirthChek
Our New Hampshire form lists the family relationships the statute names, including aunt, uncle, niece, nephew and step-relative. Guardians and representatives upload their papers. You give the city or town of birth and both parents' names, upload your ID and sign, and BirthChek files the request with the Division of Vital Records Administration.
Facts checked October 24, 2026 against the sources below.
Sources
- Request certificates — New Hampshire Department of State – Division of Vital Records Administration
- Vital record application — New Hampshire Department of State – Division of Vital Records Administration
- Documentary evidence required — New Hampshire Department of State – Division of Vital Records Administration
- RSA Chapter 5-C: vital records — New Hampshire General Court
- Pre-adoption birth records — New Hampshire Department of State – Division of Vital Records Administration
- Heirloom birth and marriage certificates — New Hampshire Department of State
- Birth certificates — City of Manchester – City Clerk
- Vital records — City of Nashua
Where to get a New Hampshire birth certificate: state and local offices
Certified copies for births recorded in New Hampshire are issued by the Division of Vital Records Administration, New Hampshire Department of State.
We take orders for births anywhere in New Hampshire, including Manchester and Nashua.
Who can order a New Hampshire birth certificate
- You, the person named
- Aunt
- Brother
- Daughter
- Father
- Husband
- Mother
- Nephew
- Niece
- Sister
- Son
- Uncle
- Wife
- Grandparent
- Grandchild
- Step-relative · proof needed
- Guardian · proof needed
- Legal Representative · proof needed
- 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 New Hampshire 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
- Retirement
- School
- Social Security Card/Benefits
- Sports
- Travel
What you need to order a New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire birth certificate?
About ten minutes. Have your photo ID nearby.