How to Get a Birth Certificate in Birmingham, AL

To get a birth certificate in Birmingham, AL, you have three options: walk into the Jefferson County Department of Health in person, mail an application to the state’s Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery, or order online through VitalChek. The fee is $15, which covers a records search and one certified copy. In person is the fastest route by a wide margin, with most certificates printed while you wait; mail and online orders take about a week or more.¹

Who Is Allowed to Order the Record

Alabama treats birth certificates as restricted records for 125 years from the date of birth, so not just anyone can request a copy. You can order one if you are:¹

The person named on the certificate, if you are at least 14 or an emancipated minor
A parent listed on the record (a father not listed must show custody, child support, or a paternity determination)
A spouse, adult child, or adult sibling of the person named
A legal guardian of the person named
A legal representative of someone in the categories above
Anyone with a court order granting access

If you are eligible but cannot go yourself, you can give someone written permission to pick up the certificate for you. At the Jefferson County office, anyone other than an immediate family member needs that written authorization in hand.²

What ID You Need

Bring a current, government-issued photo ID. The primary list is short: an Alabama or out-of-state driver’s license, a state-issued non-driver ID, or a U.S. or foreign passport. These can be expired by no more than 60 days.³

If you don’t have any of those, you can present two items from a broader secondary list, which includes a utility bill no older than six months, a work ID, vehicle registration, voter registration card, health insurance card, Social Security statement, military discharge papers, or a hunting or fishing license.³

For a mail-in request, enclose a photocopy of your ID with the application.⁴

Information to Have Ready

The form is called the Application for a Search of an Alabama Birth Record and is available on the Alabama Department of Public Health website or at the Jefferson County office. Before you fill it out, pull together:

Full legal name of the person at birth
Date of birth
County of birth (Jefferson County for births in Birmingham)
Both parents’ full names, including the mother’s maiden name
Your relationship to the person named

Staff use the parent information to match your request to the right record, so spelling matters. Incomplete or illegible forms get delayed or rejected.⁵

Ordering in Person at the Jefferson County Department of Health

The Vital Records office is in the Central Health Center at 1400 Sixth Avenue South, Birmingham, AL 35233. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Parking is on the top deck at the back of the building.²

Staff verify your ID at the counter, search the records, and print a certified copy with the state seal, usually while you wait. If you need the certificate quickly for a passport, a new job, or a REAL ID appointment, this is the route to take. Credit and debit cards are accepted.

Ordering by Mail from Montgomery

Put your completed application, a photocopy of your ID, and your payment in one envelope and send it to:

Alabama Department of Public Health
Alabama Vital Records
P.O. Box 5625
Montgomery, AL 36103-5625⁶

Pay by money order or cashier’s check made out to “Center for Health Statistics.” Do not send cash. Processing generally takes seven to ten business days after the office receives your materials, with the certificate returned by mail. Add time for postage in both directions.

Ordering Online Through VitalChek

VitalChek is the online portal authorized by the Alabama Department of Public Health, and you can reach it through a link on the ADPH website. The state’s $15 fee applies, plus VitalChek convenience fees, and you can pay extra for upgraded UPS shipping. Standard delivery runs about five to seven business days.¹ Identity verification happens as part of checkout.

Fees

Alabama charges $15 for a search, which includes one certified copy if a matching record is found. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $6.⁷ Expedited processing adds another $15.¹

All fees are nonrefundable. If no matching record turns up, you receive a Certificate of Failure to Find rather than a refund.¹

If the Certificate Has an Error or Is Missing a Parent

If a mistake was made when the hospital originally prepared the record, you can request a correction through the Center for Health Statistics. The amended certificate will be marked “Amended,” with one exception: minor corrections made within the first year after birth don’t get that label.⁸ Adults 19 and older must apply for their own correction; parents or guardians handle it for minors.⁹ The amendment fee is $20, including one certified copy of the corrected record, with additional copies at $6 each and expedited service $15 more.¹⁰

A name change after a child’s first birthday needs a certified court order first. Petition the court for the name change, then send the certified order to the Center for Health Statistics to update the record.⁸

Adding a father who is not listed follows one of four paths: a court-ordered legitimation through Probate Court, the parents’ later marriage, an acknowledgment of paternity through the County Department of Human Resources or the Center for Health Statistics, or a Uniform Parentage Act petition in Circuit Court (Juvenile Division). The acknowledgment option is available when the mother was unmarried at both conception and birth. The fee is $25, which includes one certified copy; additional copies are $6, and expedited service is $15 more. The child’s name can be changed at the same time the father is added.¹⁰

If the Birth Was Never Registered

The ordering process above assumes there is a record on file. If a birth in Alabama was never registered, you need a delayed registration instead of a search. The procedure, and the documentary evidence required, depend on how long ago the birth occurred, with the strictest requirements kicking in at five years out.¹¹ Contact the Center for Health Statistics directly in that situation.

REAL ID and Why You Might Be Searching Now

REAL ID enforcement began on May 7, 2025. If you are applying for or renewing an Alabama driver’s license or state ID and want the REAL ID star, a certified birth certificate is one of the accepted documents for proving your identity.¹² Without a REAL ID-compliant card, your state ID alone will not get you onto a domestic flight or into certain federal buildings. A certified copy you already have at home is fine; order a new one only if yours is damaged, illegible, or lost.

1
Alabama Department of Public Health. Vital Records – Birth Certificates
2
Jefferson County Department of Health. Vital Records
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Alabama Department of Public Health. Identification Required to Request Alabama Restricted Vital Records
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records – Alabama
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Alabama Department of Public Health. Vital Records
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Alabama Department of Public Health. Contact Us
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 22-9A-23 – Fees
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Alabama Department of Public Health. Alabama Vital Statistics Laws
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Alabama Administrative Code. Alabama Administrative Code Chapter 420-7-1 – Vital Statistics
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Alabama Department of Public Health. Birth Certificate Corrections/Changes
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Alabama Legislature. Alabama Code 22-9A-9 – Delayed Registration of Birth
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USAGov. How to Get a REAL ID and Use It for Travel