Texas Birth Certificate: Order a Certified Copy Online

Immediate family and the "direct and tangible interest" test

The state's rules define immediate family as the registrant's child, parent or guardian, brother or sister, grandparent, and spouse, whether related by blood, marriage or adoption. Each of them, and the registrant, is a qualified applicant without further argument. Aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws are not on that list: they need paperwork showing a direct and tangible interest in the record, such as a court order or an insurance policy that names them as beneficiary. A guardian or legal representative must show the document that gives them that role.

Long form, short form or heirloom: which Texas birth certificate you need

Texas prints more than one kind of certified birth record, and the purpose decides which one to ask for.

• Long form: a copy of the original certificate, including any history of corrections. The state lists it as the one required for a US passport, for a driver's license in most states and for dual citizenship.
• Short form: a certified abstract with the current name, date and place of birth, sex and parents, without the correction history. It is the usual choice for school, sports, employment and insurance.
• Heirloom: a decorative version equivalent to the short form, meant mainly for framing; it is not issued for records created by court order or by delayed registration.

A birth verification letter also exists, but it only confirms that a record is on file and does not replace a certified copy.

What the Texas application asks for, and the ID rules

The state's mail application (VS-140) asks for the registrant's full name, date of birth, sex, and city or county of birth, plus both parents' full names, including the mother's maiden name. The applicant gives contact details, a relationship and a reason. A mailed application must be an original without corrections and signed in front of a notary; in person, the original ID is shown instead. Texas grades identification: one primary photo ID such as a driver's license, state ID, military ID or US passport is enough on its own; otherwise two secondary documents, or one secondary and two supporting documents such as a utility bill and a pay stub, are accepted.

Houston, Harris County, Dallas or San Antonio: local registrars and the state office

The state office keeps Texas births from 1903 to the present. Births are also on file with the local registrar of the county, city or district where the child was born, so someone born in Houston or Harris County, Dallas or San Antonio can often get a copy close to home, and some local offices can print records from anywhere in the state. Each local office sets its own procedures and issues both long and short forms. Whichever office you use, the eligibility rules above stay the same.

Seventy-five years, adoptions and parentage

Births from the last seventy-five years are released only to immediate family and the other qualified applicants; on the seventy-fifth anniversary a birth record becomes public. After an adoption Texas issues a new certificate for a child born in the state and seals the original; an adult adoptee can ask for a non-certified copy of the original, and anything more takes a court order. A new certificate can also follow an acknowledgment of paternity, a court order, or the parents' marriage after the birth, with the earlier record sealed.

How it works when you order with BirthChek

With BirthChek you start by telling us who you are to the person on the certificate; the choices mirror the Texas application, and a relationship outside the qualified list is flagged before you pay. You enter the birth details once, upload the front and back of your photo ID, sign, and sign the limited power of attorney that lets us file for you. We assemble the request from your answers, check it against the state's rules and file it with the state office, and your order page tracks it until the certificate is in the mail.