How Do You Order a Birth Certificate in Texas?

The Texas rule in one table

| Official office | Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), Vital Statistics | | Fee per copy | 22 dollars for a certified copy, long form or short form | | Other fees | Birth verification 22 dollars. Heirloom display copy 60 dollars. Expedited processing 25 dollars | | Fee waivers | Military personnel, homeless youth, and certificates for election identification, with required documentation | | Refunds | Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable even if the record is not found | | Confidentiality | Birth records are confidential for 75 years from birth, then public |

What makes Texas different

Texas is the same price, two forms state. A certified long form and a certified short form both cost 22 dollars, so the choice is about use, not price: order the long form for a United States passport, and the short form suffices for school registration. A birth verification, which is not a certified copy, also costs 22 dollars, so do not order a verification when a certified copy is what the receiving office needs.

The second Texas difference is who can order. Only a properly qualified applicant may order a certified copy while the record is confidential: the registrant, a spouse, a parent listed on the certificate, a sibling, a grandparent, a child, a legal guardian with a certified court order, or a legal or authorized representative with the required designation document. After 75 years the record becomes public and anyone may request it. Expedited processing costs 25 dollars on top of the copy fee and must be sent by overnight mail.

The process, step by step

1. Decide long form or short form: long form for a passport, short form for school registration.
2. Confirm you are a properly qualified applicant for a confidential record, and gather the required photo identification.
3. Order online, by mail, or in person at DSHS Austin or a county clerk office, with the 22 dollar fee per copy.
4. Add expedited processing for 25 dollars only if you send the application by overnight mail.

Ordering in the other states

Birth certificate ordering follows the same shape in every state, but the office, the fee, and the wait change at the state line. See How to Order a Birth Certificate in Florida and How to Order a Birth Certificate in New York. For all seven states side by side, see the Birth Certificates by State directory.

Source

Fees and fee rules on this page come from the Texas Department of State Health Services: the Vital Statistics costs and fees page. Facts verified 2026-10-26.

This page explains how the process works and what the official rules say. It is general information, not legal advice. For a dispute about your specific situation, talk to a lawyer or your state agency.