Who Can Order a Birth Certificate?

The core list

In all seven states, the same core group can order a certified copy: the registrant, a parent, a spouse, a legal guardian with court papers, and a legal representative or attorney acting for an eligible person with documentation. A court order overrides eligibility limits everywhere. Government and law enforcement access for official purposes exists everywhere but is not a public channel.

Who can order, state by state

• California. Who can order a certified copy: registrant, parent, legal guardian, child, grandparent, grandchild, sibling, spouse, domestic partner, attorneys for the registrant, certain government requesters, with a notarized sworn statement for authorized copies. Informational copy bypass: yes, certified informational copy for anyone, marked as not valid to establish identity. Confidential until: no single clock for informational use, since anyone can get an informational copy.
• Texas. Who can order a certified copy: registrant, spouse, parent listed on the certificate, sibling, grandparent, child, legal guardian, legal or authorized representative. Informational copy bypass: no. Confidential until: 75 years from birth, then public.
• Florida. Who can order a certified copy: registrant if of legal age, listed parents, legal guardian, legal representative, court order holder, and after death a spouse, child, grandchild, or sibling of legal age. Informational copy bypass: no. Confidential until: 125 years from birth.
• New York. Who can order a certified copy: New York City, 18 or older and listed on the record, or ordering for a deceased relative with relationship proof. New York State, registrant, named parents or legal guardian, spouse, descendant, court authorized persons. Informational copy bypass: no. Confidential until: 75 years from birth for New York State records.
• Washington. Who can order a certified copy: subject, spouse or domestic partner, parent, stepparent, legal guardian, child or stepchild, sibling, grandparent or great-grandparent, grandchild, legal representative, authorized representative, government agency or courts. Informational copy bypass: yes, noncertified informational copy for anyone, watermarked informational only. Confidential until: 100 years from birth, then State Archives.
• Oregon. Who can order a certified copy: self, parent, stepparent only while the child is under 18 and still married to the parent on the certificate, grandparent, child, grandchild, sibling, spouse or registered domestic partner, legal guardian, legal representative, authorized representative, government agency. Informational copy bypass: no. Confidential until: 100 years from birth.
• Colorado. Who can order a certified copy: registrant, spouse, listed parents, stepparents, siblings and half-siblings, adult children, grandparents and great-grandparents, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, stepchildren, legal guardian, legal representatives, attorney-in-fact, government agencies. Informational copy bypass: no. Confidential until: not stated as a single clock on the county forms read for this guide.

Three traps

First, the wrong New York office. Five boroughs means New York City Health, and anywhere else in New York means the New York State Department of Health. Ordering from the wrong office stalls the request.

Second, the wrong California copy type. An authorized copy proves identity and an informational copy does not, and both cost 31 dollars. Ordering the wrong type means paying twice.

Third, assuming a cousin or aunt can order. In Oregon, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, stepchildren, stepsiblings, and ex-spouses are not eligible on their own, and in Florida the family list after death is limited to spouse, child, grandchild, and sibling. A cousin needs another qualifying relationship or notarized permission from an eligible person in Oregon, and a court order or eligible sponsor in Florida.

Source

Eligibility rules on this page come from the state vital records offices in the Birth Certificates by State directory. 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.