The Health Department issues certificates to people who are born or who die in New York City. You can also correct an issued birth or death certificate.
How to Order
Online through VitalChek. This is the fastest way to get a certificate.
Note: You cannot request a certificate correction online.
If you ordered a certificate through an unauthorized vendor you could be charged unnecessary fees to get a certificate.
By Mail. Note, mailed requests take longer to process than online and in-person requests.
In Person. All in-person orders require an appointment. Before going to apply in person, you must schedule an appointment online.
If you are unable to schedule an appointment and have an emergency request related to health care coverage, government services, military, housing or employment, call 311 or email nycdohvr@health.nyc.gov. For help scheduling an appointment for a correction or amendment, call 311 or email correctionsunit2@health.nyc.gov.
In your email, include current photo ID and documents showing that you have an emergency, such as a paid plane ticket, letter from an employer with a job start date, or letter from a government agency with an appointment date.
Note: Certificate corrections can only be made in person or by mail, and each method takes the same amount of time to process.
Questions about correcting or amending a certificate (include the order number, date you submitted it and how you placed the order): correctionsunit2@health.nyc.gov
In your email, be sure to include how you submitted the order (online, mail, in-person), the order number (if known, but required for online orders), the date the order was submitted and the reason for email.