The Department of State Health Services Vital Statistics Unit does not publish searchable birth indexes on our website. If you are interested in finding out if a record is on file in our office you must request a death verification in writing. More information on record verification can be found on our Birth and Death Verification request page.
Ordering Birth Certificates through Texas.gov
 For fast, affordable service, order Texas birth certificates through Texas.gov, the official eGovernment site for the State of Texas. The current estimated processing time for Texas.gov orders is 10-15 business days.
Birth certificates for births within the past 75 years are considered protected records, and Texas.gov has the following requirements for requesting these records:
- If you reside in Texas, you can order your own record or the records of your immediate family members. If you live outside of Texas, you can order your own record or the record of your child, if you are listed as a parent on the record.
- You must have a valid state-issued driver's license or government-issued ID card.
- You must be ordering a record that is to be delivered within the United States, to U.S. territories or U.S. commonwealths, or to U.S. military addresses (APO, FPO).
- You must have a valid credit card.
If you do not meet these criteria, you cannot use Texas.gov to request a birth certificate from the past 75 years, but you can make the request by following the instructions below.
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Offline instructions for ordering a birth certificate
- Obtain and fill out an application for a certified copy of a birth certificate. You can either download one or pick one up in person. See the table below for details.
For births that occurred within the past 75 years, copies can be requested only by the immediate family of the person whose name is on the birth certificate. If you are not an immediate family member, you must provide legal documentation, such as a court order establishing guardianship, that documents a direct and tangible interest in the birth certificate.
- Send in the completed application with payment using one of the methods listed in the table below. If the birth occurred within the past 75 years, you must include a photocopy of your valid photo ID issued by a governmental entity. The following are acceptable forms of ID:
- State-issued driver's license
- State/city/county ID card
- Student ID
- Government employment badge or card
- Prison ID
- Military ID
If you do not have a photo ID, you can instead send a copy of the photo ID of an immediate family member, or you can send copies of two documents showing your name, such as a utility bill and your Social Security card. One of the documents must have your signature.
We will not be able to process applications for birth certificates if the application is received without a photo ID or the alternate IDs listed above and signature of applicant.
The processing times in the table below are estimates. Please make checks or money orders payable to DSHS.
| Offline application methods |
Instructions |
Cost |
Payment methods accepted |
Processing time for most requests |
| In person at the Texas Vital Statistics Office (VSU) in Austin |
Come to our office at 1100 West 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756
Monday-Friday
8 am - 5 pm |
$22–Certified copy
$60–Heirloom |
Cash
Check
Money order |
Short form birth certificates can usually be produced in 30 minutes to 2 hours. If you need a long form birth certificate, it may take several days to process. |
If you cannot order online, we offer an Offline Expedited Service
Orders must be sent to Texas Vital Statistics via an overnight mail service, such as Fedex, Lone Star, UPS, etc. Do not send via USPS Priority Mail.
|
Application–pdf (28K) |
$22–Certified copy
or $60–Heirloom
+ $5 expedited processing fee
+ return delivery cost of $8 for Lonestar or $19.95 express mail* |
Check or Money order |
10-15 business days
Please note: this estimate applies only to complete and acceptable applications. Incomplete or unacceptable applications will require additional processing time. |
| U.S. Postal Service regular mail |
Application–Word (58K)
Application–pdf (28K) |
$22–Certified copy
$60–Heirloom
+ return delivery cost of $8 for UPS or $19.95 express mail (optional)* |
Check
Money order |
6-8 weeks |
*The cost of Lonestar overnight to most U.S. locations is $8.00. Additional fees will be added if the certificates need to be mailed outside the continental U.S or if additional services are needed such as Saturday delivery or delivery before 8:00 AM. The cost of express mail delivery to a post office box, Hawaii, Alaska, U.S. territories or U.S. commonwealths is $19.95. The cost of Priority Mail delivery to a military address is $4.95. These delivery methods offer security and tracking capabilities that are not available with regular mail.
Click here for information on viewing files.
External links to other sites are intended to be informational and do not have the endorsement of the Texas Department of State Health Services. These sites may also not be accessible to people with disabilities.