A replacement Louisiana birth certificate costs $15 for a long-form certified copy ordered from the state Vital Records Registry, or $34 per copy if you order the same document through a participating parish Clerk of Court.1Louisiana Department of Health. Service Fees A wallet-sized short-form card runs $9, and a combo pack with both is $24. Add-on charges apply to mail, online, and kiosk orders.
Fee Breakdown by Order Method
What you pay depends on which document you want and where you order it:
- Long-form birth certificate from the state Vital Records office: $15 per copy
- Short-form birth certification card: $9 per copy
- Long-form plus short-form combo: $24
- Long-form birth certificate from a parish Clerk of Court: $34 per copy
Every mail-in or VitalChek order also carries a $0.50 state charge per order. Kiosk orders add a separate security fee and a shipping fee, though shipping is waived if you choose will-call pickup at the Vital Records Central Office in New Orleans.1Louisiana Department of Health. Service Fees
Payment methods vary by channel. Walk-in customers can pay with cash in exact amount, check, or money order. Mail-in requests take checks or money orders made payable to “Louisiana Vital Records.” Kiosks accept debit cards, credit cards, or checks.1Louisiana Department of Health. Service Fees VitalChek orders are paid by credit card and include the vendor’s own processing and shipping fees on top of the base price.
Short-Form Card or Long-Form Certificate
Louisiana issues two versions of the birth record, and the one you pick changes the price. The short-form card is wallet-sized and shows basic birth facts. Under Louisiana law, it counts as legal proof of those facts “for all purposes.”2Justia Law. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 40 RS 40-39 – Issuance of Short-Form Birth Certification Cards The long-form is a full-page certified photocopy of the original record showing parents’ names, the registrar’s signature, and other details.
Some federal agencies and passport offices prefer the long-form because it contains more identifying information. If you’re not sure which one the office asking for your certificate will accept, the $24 combo covers you and saves the cost of a second order.
Who Can Order a Copy
The fee only matters if you’re eligible to order in the first place. Louisiana restricts certified birth certificates to people with a direct relationship to the person named on the record:
- The person named on the certificate
- Their current spouse
- A parent listed on the certificate
- An adult child, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild
- An attorney with a written declaration that they represent one of the people above
The statute also lets certain non-family parties order, including insurance or trust beneficiaries, succession representatives, and beneficiaries of pension plans or financial accounts tied to a deceased person.3FindLaw. Louisiana Revised Statutes Title 40 Section 41 Anyone outside that list needs a signed Authorization Release of Records form and ID copy from an eligible person to obtain a copy. A non-parent adult ordering a child’s certificate must present a court-issued judgment of custody; notarized custody papers and provisional custody mandates are not accepted.4Louisiana Department of Health. How To Order Birth Records
You’ll also need one primary photo ID (current state driver’s license or ID, U.S. military ID, or U.S. or foreign passport) with your application. Applicants without a primary ID can substitute two secondary documents, and some combinations, such as a current college photo ID paired with a fee-paid semester receipt, count as two on their own.5Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court. Birth and Death Certificates
How to Order and What Each Method Costs You
Online Through VitalChek
The Louisiana Department of Health uses VitalChek for online orders. You fill out the application, upload scanned photo ID, and pay by credit card. VitalChek adds its own processing and shipping fees to the $15 base cost. Choose “Will Call” at checkout to skip shipping and pick your order up at the New Orleans office; you’ll be emailed when it’s ready.4Louisiana Department of Health. How To Order Birth Records
By Mail
Download the application from the Louisiana Department of Health website. Send it with a signed copy of your photo ID and a check or money order payable to “Louisiana Vital Records,” including the $0.50 state charge, to:
Louisiana Vital Records Registry
P.O. Box 60630
New Orleans, LA 70160
Mail orders take roughly 8 to 10 weeks to process and deliver.4Louisiana Department of Health. How To Order Birth Records Missing information or an incomplete ID copy is the most common reason orders stall, so check everything before you seal the envelope.
Walk-In at the Central Office
The Vital Records Central Office takes walk-ins at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on regular business days.6Louisiana Department of Health. Center for Vital Records and Statistics Bring your original photo ID, not a copy. Pay with cash in exact amount, check, or money order.
Parish Clerk of Court
Participating Clerk of Court offices across Louisiana also issue long-form birth certificates, but at $34 per copy instead of $15.1Louisiana Department of Health. Service Fees The extra $19 buys you a local option and same-visit turnaround in many parishes. Payment methods and accepted ID vary by parish, so call ahead. The Louisiana Department of Health website lists participating offices.
If the Replacement Has an Error
If your certificate arrives with a wrong name, date, or other mistake, you can file an amendment with Vital Records for $27.50, which includes one certified copy of the corrected record.1Louisiana Department of Health. Service Fees Corrections requested within 90 days of the original filing date are free.7Louisiana Department of Health. Amendments to Birth Records
Applicants over age 12 must supply a certified document that has existed for at least five years and shows their correct birth information. Baptismal records, school enrollment records, marriage license applications, voter registration applications, and Social Security Numident printouts all qualify, and each must show the full birth name, date of birth, place of birth, mother’s full maiden name, and father’s full name.7Louisiana Department of Health. Amendments to Birth Records Foreign-language parent certificates need a certified English translation.
An amendment is only for fixing errors on a record that already exists. If a Louisiana birth was never registered in the first place, that’s a delayed birth registration, which has its own separate fees and evidence rules.