Ordering Birth and Death Certificates
Answers to most of your questions can be found on this website. For information, please call 311 or 212 NEWYORK (212-639-9675)
Birth and death certificates are available for people who were born and/or died in the five boroughs of New York City: Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens or Staten Island. Birth certificates issued before 1910 and death certificates issued before 1949 must be ordered through the Municipal Archives. If you were born outside New York City, follow this link for more.
There are three ways to order a birth or death certificate. Use the following table to get updates on how long it will take to process your application.
Express Orders
- The easiest and fastest way to order a certificate is online. Ordering online allows you to avoid the lines experienced by those applying in-person.
- Another option is to go to the NYC Health Department and place your order in-person. Bring a valid form of photo identification with you.
Non-Express Orders
If you submit forms that require original documents, you can mail this information. Applications sent by mail must be notarized and take at least 30 days to be processed. You must include an application to send your request by mail.
Attorney Requests
Attorneys may submit requests for NYC birth certificates on behalf of their clients only when following these instructions (For non profit agencies representing individuals without identification or permanent address, please email the details to nycdohvr@health.nyc.gov).
Newborn Certificates & Social Security Cards
Birth certificates for newborns are automatically mailed about a month after the child's birth at no charge. We cannot provide information about the status of your child's certificate until three weeks after the child's birth.
If you applied for a Social Security card for your new baby while at the hospital at the time of birth, it will be sent to you within one month. You can check the status of your new card. If you did not request a Social Security card at the hospital and would like to request one, please visit this website or call 800-772-1213.
Death Certificates with Cause of Death
To order an updated copy of a death certificate that includes the Medical Examiner's cause of death, please follow these instructions. For all other death certificates, this information is available for deaths occurring on or after January 1, 2010. You can be told the cause of death if you are the spouse or domestic partner of the person who has died or are the child, parent/legal guardian or the person in control of disposition as written on the death certificate. To get this information, check box #20 on the death certificate application and submit it in-person or by mail.
