How to get a Texas birth certificate

Ways to order

Not offered: by phone.⁸

What a Texas birth certificate costs

First certified copy

$22³

Each additional copy

$22⁷

Expedite fee

$25³

If no record is found

The fee is kept as a search fee³

Types of copies

No-fee copies

• Group: military deployed to a hostile fire zone³
• Group: homeless youth / foster youth (HB 123)³
• Group: election identification certificate³
• Group: victims of family or dating violence and their children (SB 798)¹²
• Group: county or child welfare board, suits affecting the parent-child relationship (HB 4466)¹²
• Group: veterans and dependents settling a claim against the government¹³

How long it takes

These are the office's own published times. They count from the day the office receives your order. Mail and shipping time is extra unless the office says otherwise.

Who can order a Texas birth certificate

The state names these people and bodies as able to order a certified copy. Each line gives the official wording.

• The person named on the record, child, a parent named on the record, brother or sister, grandparent and spouse: The person named on the vital record, his/her immediate family members (either by blood, marriage, or adoption), his/her guardian , or his/her legal agent/representative can request a certified copy of that vital record.¹⁸
• Legal guardian¹⁸
• Attorney or legal representative¹⁸
• Others: only with legal documentation of a direct, tangible interest¹⁸
• Anyone once the record is public: 75 years after the event¹⁹

Other kinds of copies

• Verification Anyone: Anyone is eligible to order a birth or death verification if able to provide the full name of the individual, date of event, and location of event.¹²

Records open to the public after

75 years⁸

ID you need

Photo ID

Required¹²

Accepted ID

• Driver's license from a U.S. state
• Federal or state ID card
• Military ID card
• U.S. passport
• License to Carry a Handgun
• Pilot's license
• Law enforcement employment ID (federal, state, or city)
• Offender ID issued by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or an ID from a federal or U.S. state correctional facility or institution
• USCIS-issued Employment Authorization Document (EAD), Permanent Resident Card (Green Card), travel documents (re-entry permit, refugee travel document, advance parole), SENTRI card, U.S. citizen ID card
• U.S. Department of State-issued Border Crossing Card (B1/B2) or Visa²⁰

Without that ID

Option 2: TWO (2) from Group B (secondary IDs, e.g. current student ID, expired Group A ID, signed Social Security card or Numident, DD-214, Medicaid/Medicare card, VA card, medical insurance card, foreign passport with U.S. visa); Option 3: ONE (1) from Group B and TWO (2) from Group C (supporting documents, e.g. recent utility bill, paycheck stub, bank statement, voter registration card, lease, school transcript); No id: An immediate family member with sufficient ID may obtain the record instead²⁰

ID copy with a mail order

Include a copy of your ID⁸

What the application asks for

Have these details ready before you fill in the form or start an online order.⁷

• Full name on record
• Date of birth
• Sex
• Place of birth (city or town, county; Texas only)
• Full name of Parent 1 (maiden last name)
• Full name of Parent 2 (maiden last name)
• Applicant's relationship
• Reason for request

Forms

• Mail Application for Birth Record (VS-140) revision VS – 140 (1/26)⁷
• Mail Application for Birth Record (Spanish) (VS-140)²¹
• Application for Noncertified Copy of Original Birth Certificate (adult adoptee) (VS-145)¹⁷

Years held and older records

Years the issuing office holds

1903 to today⁸

Older records

County clerk of the county of birth (births recorded before 1903)²²

Special situations

Delayed registration

Births not registered within the first year need a Delayed Certificate of Birth; filing fee $25, after first getting a 'not found' result²³ Details

Adoption

New birth certificate after adoption is filed through the attorney/district clerk with form VS-160 and the decree; total $62 for Texas decrees³ Details

Adoptees born abroad

DSHS can file adoption birth certificates only for people born in Texas²⁴ Details

Paternity

Adding/changing a father files a new birth certificate; $25 fee; original sealed²⁵ Details

People without housing

Free certified birth copy for homeless youth, children in DFPS conservatorship and 18-20-year-olds in paid foster care, with supporting documentation; mail or in person only¹² Details

Military and veterans

Fee waived for service members preparing to deploy to a hostile fire zone (Gov't Code 437.217); military ID and orders required⁷ Details

Use abroad

For use abroad, order a certified copy marked 'Apostille' as the reason, then send it yourself to the Texas Secretary of State; DSHS cannot forward it²⁶ Details

Dual citizenship

Long form required for dual citizenship¹⁴ Details

If no record is found

If no record is on file DSHS issues a 'not found' letter; the fee is kept⁷ Details

Stillbirth

A commemorative Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth can be ordered through Texas.gov; it is not a certificate of live birth²⁷ Details

Sex marker

The birth correction form lists correcting the child's sex only 'due to proven incompletion or inaccuracy', supported by a hospital/medical record at birth or a hospital letter²⁸ Details

Warnings from the office

• Immigration or citizenship status does not affect the right to a birth certificate⁸
• A 'not found' search still costs the full fee⁸

The state office

Office

Vital Statistics Section, Texas Department of State Health Services²⁹

Phone

888-963-7111²⁹

Mailing address

Texas Vital Statistics, Department of State Health Services, P.O. Box 12040, Austin, TX 78711-2040

¹¹

Walk-in address

DSHS - Vital Statistics Section, 1100 W. 49th St., Austin, TX 78756

⁷

Hours

Monday-Friday, 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM CST²⁹

Website

Official website²⁹

Questions people ask