Vital Records Refund Policy
Credit Card Orders
If the Office of Vital Records (OVR) reviews and cancels a certificate order within one business day, usually for reasons related to eligibility, the customer’s account is credited for the cost of the order and the shipping charge but NOT the $8.30 processing fee. The customer receives an e-mail from OVR explaining the cancellation and told to contact nycdohvr@health.nyc.gov with further inquiries. Once an order has been cancelled, the customer must re-submit it according to the instructions provided. All charges apply.
If the order is accepted and sent to SEARCH, this process can take from 5-7 business days. If the certificate cannot be found, the customer is mailed a “Record Not Found Statement.” A refund check, minus the $15 cost of the “Record Not Found Statement” and the processing and shipping fees, is issued separately. Check refunds take approximately 30 days.
If the customer submits the “Record Not Found” statement with the additional information requested within 3 months of the cancelled order, OVR will do another search at no additional cost. However, “Record Not Found” statements cannot be used for online orders; they must be returned by mail or in person.
Other Orders
Refunds usually do not occur for walk-in or mail orders because OVR does not cash a person’s check or money order unless the order can be filled. However, if a customer overpays a refund is completed for overpayments of $3.00 or more. All documents are returned with cancelled orders.
