How to get an Alabama birth certificate

Ways to order

Not offered: online directly with the vital records office and in person.¹³

What an Alabama birth certificate costs

First certified copy

$15²

Each additional copy, same order

$6²

Expedite fee

$15²

If no record is found

The fee is kept as a search fee⁸

Fees in effect since

Fee section last amended by Act 2009-569⁹

Types of copies

How long it takes

These are the office's own published times. Mail and shipping time is extra unless the office says otherwise.

Who can order an Alabama birth certificate

Anyone may order a certified copy.¹³

The office also names these requesters and conditions. Each line gives the official wording.

• The person named on the record²
• A parent named on the record and legal guardian²
• Spouse²
• Child²
• Brother or sister²
• Attorney or legal representative²
• Grandparent: A birth certificate may be obtained for a minor child by a grandparent who states in a written application that he or she has physical custody of the child.⁸
• Government agency: Representatives of government agencies may obtain certified copies of any vital record that is needed for the official use of their respective agencies.⁸
• May provide a written authorization for another individual to obtain the certified copy for him or her⁸
• Others may obtain information from or copies of a vital record, if they demonstrate that the information or copy is needed for the determination or protection of his or her personal or property right.¹³

Who cannot order a certified copy

• Information from or copies of records shall not be provided to the natural parents of adopted children, when neither has custody, or commercial firms or agencies requesting listings of names and addresses or copies of certificates.¹³

Records open to the public after

125 years²

ID you need

Photo ID

Required¹⁴

Accepted ID

• Alabama Driver's License
• Out-of-State Driver's License
• State-Issued Non-Driver ID
• U.S. or Foreign Passport
• U.S. Certificate of Naturalization
• Certificate of Citizenship
• U.S. Military ID
• Work ID (If applicant is employee of agency/company making request)
• Alien Resident Card (Temporary or Permanent)
• U.S. Employment Authorization Card
• Citizenship ID Card
• Tribal ID
• Pilot's License
• Boating License
• Concealed Weapons License
• Ex-Felon ID
• Inmate ID issued by the U.S. Dept. of Justice w/ following documentation
• School ID (Must include current school term)
• Alabama Voter Identification Card¹⁴

Without that ID

• Expired, Government-Issued ID
• Utility Bill (No more than 6 months old)
• Work ID (If applicant is making personal request)
• Vehicle Registration or Vehicle Title
• Property Tax Bill
• Military Discharge (DD Form 214)
• Voter Registration Card
• Health Insurance Card
• Social Security Correspondence (not Card)
• U.S. Selective Service Card
• Recent DMV Receipt for Fines Paid
• Fishing or Hunting License
• Copy of Police Report or other official documents which support theft, in cases where individual's ID has been stolen
• Autism Spectrum Card
• Immunization (Shot) Record

¹⁴

ID copy with a mail order

Include a copy of your ID¹⁵

What the application asks for

Have these details ready before you fill in the form or start an online order.²

• Full name of person at birth
• Date of birth
• Sex
• County or city of birth
• Hospital of birth - if not in a hospital state "home"
• Full name of mother/parent before first marriage
• Full name of father/parent before first marriage
• Your name
• Your signature
• Your relationship to the person whose certificate you are requesting
• Address where the certificate is to be mailed
• Your daytime phone number

Forms

• Application for a Birth, Death, Marriage, or Divorce Certificate (ADPH-HS14) Rev. 10/2024⁵
• Solucidud so para un Nacimiento, una Muerte, una Unión, o un Certificado del Divorcio (ADPH-HS14S) Rev. 10/2024¹⁶
• Request for Keepsake Birth Certificate (ADPH HS-14H) Revised 10/2024¹⁷
• Request for Pre-Adoption or Other Birth Certificate from an Alabama Sealed File (ADPH-HS-95) Rev. 10/2024¹⁸
• Request for Certified Copy of Acknowledgment of Paternity (ADPH-HS-21) Rev. 10/2024¹⁹

Years held and older records

Years the issuing office holds

1908 to today²

Older records

A few counties kept birth registers; check ADAH microfilm²⁰

Special situations

Adoption

A new certificate replaces the original, which goes into a sealed file; adult adoptees 19 or older can get a non-certified copy of the original.² Details

Adoptees born abroad

A Certificate of Foreign Birth costs $25.00, including one certified copy.²¹ Details

Delayed registration

$20 to prepare a delayed certificate, including one certified copy.⁹ Details

Paternity

$25.00 to prepare the new certificate when a father is added.²² Details

Sex marker

The statute requires a certified court order on a surgical sex change and a name change.²³ Details

Name change

A certified court order changing the name lets the State Registrar amend the certificate.²³ Details

If no record is found

You receive a Certificate of Failure to Find and the fee is kept.⁸ Details

Use abroad

Apostille or Exemplified copy: $25.00 each from the Center for Health Statistics.⁴ Details

Warnings from the office

• False application is a crime: up to three months in county jail or a fine of up to $500.⁵
• ADPH describes VitalChek as an independent company, not an ADPH service, with extra fees.¹

The state office

Office

Alabama Center for Health Statistics (Alabama Vital Records)³

Phone

(334) 206-5418³

Email

Email form on the ADPH contact page³

Mailing address

Alabama Department of Public Health, Alabama Vital Records, P.O. Box 5625, Montgomery, AL 36103-5625

³

Walk-in address

Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics, The RSA Tower, 201 Monroe Street, Suite 1150, Montgomery, AL 36104

³

Hours

8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays³

Website

Official website⁵

Questions people ask