To get a birth certificate in West Virginia, submit an application with valid ID and a $12 fee to the state Vital Registration Office in Charleston. You can apply by mail, walk in to the office at 350 Capitol Street, or place an order through an authorized third-party vendor online. Only the person named on the certificate and certain close relatives are eligible to request a certified copy.
Who Can Order a Copy
West Virginia treats birth records as restricted. The Vital Registration Office will only release a certified copy to people in defined categories, and you’ll usually need to show how you’re connected to the person on the certificate.
Eligible requesters include:
- The person named on the certificate, if 18 or older or legally emancipated
- A parent or stepparent listed on the certificate, or the registrant’s current stepparent
- A legal guardian, who must include a copy of guardianship papers
- The registrant’s spouse
- Children and grandchildren, including half and step relationships, extending to great-grandchildren and beyond
- Siblings, including half and step siblings
- In-laws (mother-, father-, son-, and daughter-in-law)
- Grandparents and great-grandparents
- An attorney or other legal representative acting for an eligible person
- Authorized government agencies
If you don’t fit any of these categories but believe you have a direct interest in the record, contact the Vital Registration Office to discuss your situation.1West Virginia Health Statistics Center. Obtaining West Virginia Birth and Death Certificates
What to Gather Before You Apply
Every application needs identification. One primary ID is enough on its own: a state-issued driver’s license (expired is acceptable), a U.S. or foreign passport, a military ID, or a photo ID card from a government-sponsored program.
If you don’t have a primary ID, you can use two secondary documents instead: a major credit card, a motor vehicle registration card, a state social services program card, or a recent utility bill in your name.
Mail-in applications need a color copy of the ID enclosed. In person, bring the originals.2West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Certificate Requests
The application itself asks for details that let the office pull the right record:
- Full name on the certificate
- Date of birth
- City, county, and hospital of birth
- Both parents’ full names, including the mother’s maiden name
Download the form from the DHHR’s Certificate Request Forms page and fill it out before you mail it or head to the counter.2West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Certificate Requests
Ordering by Mail
Send the completed application, a color copy of your ID, and a check or money order for $12 per copy, payable to “Vital Registration,” to:
Vital Registration Office
Room 165, 350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Debit and credit cards are not accepted for mail orders. In low-volume periods, requests are typically processed within five working days of receipt. Normal turnaround runs two to three weeks. During the peak months of March, April, August, and September, when school enrollment drives demand, plan on at least three weeks.1West Virginia Health Statistics Center. Obtaining West Virginia Birth and Death Certificates
Ordering in Person
The Vital Registration Office has a walk-up counter on the first floor of 350 Capitol Street in downtown Charleston, at the corner of Capitol and Washington. Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, except state holidays. Metered street parking is available on Capitol Street.3West Virginia Health Statistics Center. Contact Information
Bring your original ID. You’ll fill out a multi-part form at the counter, and most requests are finished in under 15 minutes. The counter takes cash, check, money order, or credit and debit cards. Card payments carry a 4% surcharge.2West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Certificate Requests
Ordering Online Through a Vendor
West Virginia doesn’t offer direct online ordering through its own website. Any online order goes through an authorized third-party vendor, such as VitalChek, that takes your information and payment and then forwards the request to the state office by mail.2West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Certificate Requests
Vendors accept credit and debit cards but add convenience and shipping fees on top of the $12 state fee. Because these orders reach the state office by mail, they land in the same processing queue as any other mail-in request. Online ordering is a convenience option for people who can’t mail a check or visit in person; it isn’t a faster way to get the certificate.
What It Costs
Each certified copy is $12. That fee covers a non-refundable search of the year you specified, plus the year before and the year after. If the record isn’t located, you can pay another $12 to search a further three-year window.2West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Certificate Requests
The $12 is the same no matter how you order. The extras are where the methods diverge:
- Mail: check or money order only, no added fees beyond postage.
- In person: cash, check, money order, or card, with a 4% surcharge on card payments.
- Online vendors: card only, with processing and shipping charges that can add $15 to $25 or more depending on the vendor and shipping speed.
If You Need Something Other Than a Straight Copy
A few related tasks use different forms and different rules, so don’t assume the standard request covers them.
To fix a mistake on a certificate, use the “Affidavit to Correct Birth Certificate” for an adult or the “Affidavit of Minor” for a child, both on the DHHR’s Corrections and Amendment Forms page. The amendment fee is $10, plus $12 for each new certified copy; amendments made within the first year after birth carry no fee.4West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. Corrections and Amendment Forms
When unmarried parents want to add the father’s name, both parents can sign a Declaration of Paternity Affidavit before a notary; only the original is accepted. If either parent contests paternity, this route doesn’t apply and the matter has to go through court or genetic testing arranged by the Bureau for Child Support Enforcement.5Bureau for Child Support Enforcement. Paternity Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If a West Virginia birth was never officially recorded, a delayed birth certificate can be filed by the person, a parent, a guardian, or another adult with personal knowledge of the birth. The application must be signed under oath, and the amount of documentary evidence required depends on how long ago the birth took place.6Legal Information Institute. West Virginia Code of State Rules 64-32-5
Older and Historical Records
The Vital Registration Office holds birth records from 1917 forward, plus delayed-filed records back to around 1850. For earlier births, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History’s Archives and History Library in the Cultural Center at the Capitol Complex in Charleston holds county birth records, census records, military records, and court documents that can help.7West Virginia Health Statistics Center. Genealogy
The West Virginia Culture Center also runs the Vital Research Records Project, a searchable online database of scanned original birth records going back to 1790. The online images are not certified copies. To get a certified copy of a record found there, you still need to order from the issuing county or the Vital Registration Office.8West Virginia Culture Center. Vital Records (Interactive)