New York · Certified copy
New York Birth Certificate: Order a Certified Copy Online
We prepare your application and file it with the Vital Records Section, New York State Department of Health. The office mails the certified copy to you.
- Secure payment
- Encrypted data
- Email support
- Private service — not a government agency
New York at a glance
- Issuing office
- Vital Records Section, New York State Department of Health
- Who can order
- 9 relationships · see the list
- Standard processing
- 150–160 Business Days
- What you need
- Photo ID, names, date and place of birth, parents' names
- Expedited processing
- 140–150 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 York issues it for births recorded in the state.
New York birth certificate: state office or New York City
New York has two separate birth record systems. The state office holds births from 1881 onward everywhere except the five boroughs of New York City, whose records the city keeps itself. In both, a certified copy goes to the person named once they are eighteen, to a parent named on the certificate, or to others only with a court order.
Births in New York City versus the rest of New York State
Before anything else, check where the birth happened. Births in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island are recorded and issued by New York City, not by the state, and the city does not issue records for Nassau, Suffolk or any other county. Everywhere else, the New York State Department of Health holds births from 1881 onward, and the local registrar of the town or city where the birth took place can also issue a copy. There are historical exceptions: births before 1914 in Albany, Buffalo and Yonkers stay with those cities, while Queens and Staten Island births from 1881 to 1897 are held by the state.
Who can order a New York State birth certificate
Under Public Health Law section 4173, the state issues a certified copy at the request of the person named once they are eighteen or older, a parent whose name appears on the certificate, or another lawful representative, and to anyone with a New York court order. Spouses, children and other relatives who are not on the certificate need that court order. The rule is noticeably tighter than in many other states, where grandparents or siblings may order without going to court.
What the state application asks for
The state's application (DOH-4380) asks for the name at birth, the date of birth, the town, city or village of birth, the hospital if known, the mother's name at birth and the other parent's name, along with your relationship to the person and the reason for the request. One current photo ID with a signature is expected, such as a driver's license, non-driver ID or passport. Without one, two documents showing your name and address, such as recent utility or telephone bills or a letter from a government agency, can stand in. Delivery to a post office box or to a third party needs a notarized statement and a copy of the applicant's driver's license.
Genealogy copies, adoptions and corrections
For family history, the state releases uncertified genealogy copies of births on file for at least seventy-five years when the person is known to have died; direct-line descendants with proof of the relationship and of the death are not held to that waiting period. An adoptee aged eighteen or older, and certain descendants and lawful representatives, may obtain the pre-adoption birth certificate. Corrections run through separate state forms depending on what changes, for example adding a given name, adding a parent or changing a surname after an acknowledgment of paternity.
Replacing a New York birth certificate
A replacement is simply a new certified copy, ordered from whichever office holds the record. For a birth outside New York City that is the state office or the local registrar; for a birth in the five boroughs it is the city. The city distinguishes a short form, accepted for most domestic purposes such as a US passport or a driver's license, from a long form with more detail that is used for dual citizenship, international adoption or marriage and apostille requests.
How it works when you order with BirthChek
BirthChek files New York requests with the state office, so we can help with births registered outside the five boroughs; for a birth in New York City, the city's health department is the place to apply. In our form you choose your relationship from the options the state accepts, upload your photo ID front and back, and sign. Attorneys and guardians upload the court order or other legal document after payment, and we review it before anything is filed. Your order page shows the request moving from review to the state office to the mail.
Facts checked October 24, 2026 against the sources below.
Sources
- Birth certificates — New York State Department of Health – Vital Records
- Public Health Law section 4173: certified copies of birth records — New York State Senate
- Application for copy of birth certificate (DOH-4380) — New York State Department of Health – Vital Records
- Genealogy records and resources — New York State Department of Health – Vital Records
- Pre-adoption birth certificates — New York State Department of Health – Vital Records
- Birth certificates (New York City) — NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Where to write for vital records: New York — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Where to get a New York birth certificate: state and local offices
Certified copies for births recorded in New York are issued by the Vital Records Section, New York State Department of Health.
Replacing a lost or damaged New York birth certificate
A replacement is simply a new certified copy of the same birth record. You answer the same questions as for a first copy and nothing on the record changes. Order one when your copy is lost or damaged, or when you need more than one copy for applications running at the same time.
Who can order a New York birth certificate
- You, the person named
- Attorney · proof needed
- Father
- Legal Guardian · proof needed
- Mother
- Power of Attorney · proof needed
- Spouse · proof needed
- Attorney (for a parent) · 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 York birth certificate
- Armed Services
- Court Order
- First Employment
- General Employment
- ID Purposes
- Legal Right or Claim
- Medical Need
- OOS Request
- Obtain a License
- Official Govt Purpose
- Passport
- Pre-Adoption Birth Certificate
- Prisoner
- Receipt Monies Only
- Research Request
- Retirement
- School Entrance
- Self
- Social Security
- Verification
- Veteran Benefits
- Welfare Benefits
What you need to order a New York 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 York birth certificate?
About ten minutes. Have your photo ID nearby.