Vital records by state and territory

Pick the state or territory where the birth, death, marriage or divorce took place.

Each state, the District of Columbia, New York City and the five territories keeps its own birth and death records. New York City is listed on its own because its records are separate from New York State's. Choose where the event happened, not where you live now.

Each state page explains which office issues birth, death, marriage and divorce records, the years each office holds, where older records went, local offices that also issue copies, and the office's contact details. From there, the record pages give every fee, processing time, eligibility rule, ID requirement and form. Where we have not published a page yet, the list links the state's own vital records office.

Marriage and divorce records are often kept by counties and courts rather than the state office; the state pages say which. Not sure where a record is? The office finder takes the state, record type, year and county.

Births and deaths in Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands are recorded by each territory's own vital statistics office, in the same way as a state. For births and deaths of U.S. citizens abroad, see the Consular Report of Birth Abroad guide.

States

District of Columbia and New York City

Territories

American Samoa official office
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands official office
Puerto Rico official office
U.S. Virgin Islands official office