District of Columbia Birth Records
In the District of Columbia, it is the Vital Records Division of the State Department of Health which houses birth certificates and other records of vital events. The state began recording births since August of 1874. Birth records that are public and can be procured by anyone from the general populace are only those that are already a hundred years old. Immediate family members may request a copy of birth certificate in the state though. People outside this would need to meet certain requirements especially when establishing the relationship between the requester and the registrant. Aunts, uncles, grandparents and other individuals who wish to get a hold of a birth record in the state which aren’t a hundred years old would need to meet first the Approval Guidelines set by the state.
The State Department of Health is the primary repository for all vital records in the District of Columbia. All requests for vital documents should be addressed at this department’s Vital Records Office. They are open from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM Eastern Time, Monday through Friday. The office though is closed on major holidays.
Requesting for a birth record in the state can be done through mail-in application or telephone order request. A mail-in entreaty can be made for a certified copy of a birth certificate once the application form is completed. The form can be downloaded from the state’s online portal or procured directly from the Vital Records Office in the State Department of Health. A separate application or request form must be submitted for each individual certificate being requested and a separate processing fee is required for each application. The processing fees vary depending on what type of birth certificate you wish to get. For a certified copy of a birth certificate in the state, $23 is needed. For foreign and domestic adoptions, $28 is required. Gender designation processing would require a fee of $28 also.
For corrections or amendments, the Vital Records Office encourages everyone to mail their correction requests or call the Vital Records’ Customer Service line. They will then explain and forward the entire information requisite to you on how to make correction and amendments. For genealogy purposes, it would take 6 to 8 weeks for birth record requests to be processed as a genealogy research requires an exhaustive search by the Vital Records Division staff and involves working with the Federal or DC Record Center. If the record you requested is not located, a “Certificate of Search” will be issued. However, the fees are not refundable as the request was process and the certificate was searched for.
To get a hold of a birth record in the District of Columbia faster, you can try checking out other online repositories. Record providers are already available online and they provide the same service at a much lesser cost with a way faster turnaround. With independent record repositories, any birth records in the state, whatever the purpose for procurement is, can be procured in no time.
District of Columbia Birth Certificate
Please follow the instructions below when submitting your application for a birth certificate in the District of Columbia:
- Make sure that for every certificate requested, a separate application form must also be submitted.
- A separate fee for separate application is requisite.
- Current identification is required for each certificate being requested. Take noted that expired IDs will not be accepted. The primary ID must be valid and unexpired. It can be a driver’s license or passport. If a primary ID is not available, you can provide at least three secondary IDs such as W-2 Form or current filed tax form, current pay stub, or a work ID with photo.
- Only the individuals named on the birth record, an immediate family member of a legal representative are eligible to receive DC birth certificates. Otherwise, you would need to establish your relationship to the registrant by submitting a document that would help establish the relationship.
- If the record you requested is not found, you will be given a “Certificate of Search” but the fees will no longer be returned.
- Please allow 5 to 7 days for your application to be received before calling the Vital Records Office to follow up on your application.
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