How to Get a Boston Birth Certificate: In Person, Online, or Mail

To get a Boston birth certificate, order a certified copy from the City of Boston Registry Division at City Hall. You can walk in, order online, or mail a request. In-person copies are $12. Mail and online copies are $14, with online pricing including shipping plus a small card-processing fee.¹ The Registry issues certificates for anyone born within Boston city limits.

What You Need Before You Order

The Registry searches its records by name and date, so have the basics ready: the full name of the person on the certificate, the date of birth, and both parents’ full names including the mother’s maiden name.² Write it in clear block letters on the request form. Clerks search historical ledgers by hand for older records, and legibility matters more than you would expect.

If the record is restricted (see below), you will also need a valid photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport. Mail requests for restricted records must include a photocopy of that ID.

Order In Person at City Hall

Walk into the Registry Division at 1 City Hall Square, Room 213, Boston, MA 02201. The office is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on holidays.³ This is the fastest route. Staff process requests at the counter, and most people leave the same visit with their certified copy. Each copy is $12.

Order Online

The city runs an online ordering portal where you enter the record information and pay by credit card. Orders are processed within two to three business days, and the $14 fee includes shipping to your address.¹ A small service charge is added, no more than $0.25 plus 2.15% of the total. The city does not list an expedited shipping option, so if you need the certificate quickly, go to City Hall in person.

Order by Mail

Print the Request Form from Boston.gov, fill it out, and mail it with a check or money order for $14 per copy and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Registry Division – Birth
One City Hall Square, Room 213
Boston, MA 02201²

Include a photocopy of your photo ID if the record is restricted. If the Registry cannot find the record, it will send a notice explaining why and may ask for more details so staff can search again.

Records Dated Before 1870

If the birth took place before 1870, add a $10 research fee on top of the per-copy price.¹ Older records require more staff time to locate in the city archives.

Who Can Request a Restricted Record

Most Boston birth certificates are unrestricted, meaning anyone can request a copy for any reason. The main exception is records where the parents were not married at the time of birth. Under Massachusetts law, those records can only be released to the person named on the certificate, their parent, guardian, conservator, attorney, or someone whose official duties require the information. A court order can also authorize release.⁴

If you fall into one of those categories, bring valid photo identification. The Registry will verify who you are before releasing the document.²

City Copy or State Copy?

Boston births are recorded in two places, which trips people up. You can order from the City of Boston Registry at the fees above, or from the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in Dorchester. The state charges more: $20 in person, $32 by mail, and $54 online or by phone through its vendor VitalChek.⁵

State-certified copies carry enhanced security features: an embossed seal, watermarked paper, and the state registrar’s signature. They are universally accepted for passports, REAL ID, and other federal purposes. Copies from a city clerk’s office may lack some of those elements, and some agencies have been known to question them. For a passport application, an immigration matter, or anything requiring an apostille, order from the state or specifically ask the city office for a certified copy with a raised seal. The city’s own site notes that apostille requests require a copy with a raised seal.¹

If the Baby Was Just Born

A newborn’s certificate is not available right away. The hospital files the birth with the Commonwealth, and the record generally becomes available to order from Boston City Hall about two weeks after the hospital completes its paperwork.¹ Some hospitals tell parents to expect roughly 10 days after filing. Do not go to City Hall the same week as the birth expecting to leave with a certificate.

Fixing an Error on the Record

Massachusetts allows corrections to birth records, but only for information that was wrong at the time of birth. A later legal name change does not qualify, because the original record was accurate when filed.⁶ To start an amendment, contact the city clerk’s office where the birth took place and bring evidence showing the information was incorrect at or near the time of birth. The one-time amendment fee is $50, and a certified copy of the corrected record is $20 in person or $32 by mail. For in-person amendment appointments, email RVRSAmendments@mass.gov or call (617) 740-2674. Adding or changing parentage follows a separate process using a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage form, with additional forms required if the mother was married to someone else at the time of birth; court-ordered parentage and adoption records come to the Registry directly from Probate and Family Court.

Getting an Apostille for Use Abroad

If a foreign government needs to accept your Boston birth certificate, you will likely need an apostille from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. The fee is $6 per document.⁷ First, make sure your certified copy carries an original signature from a city or town clerk, registrar of vital records, or other qualifying official, along with a raised seal. Photocopied signatures are not accepted.

Submit the apostille request in person at One Ashburton Place, Room 1719, Boston, MA 02108. Up to three documents can be processed at the counter; four or more must be dropped off and picked up after 3 p.m. the next business day. Mailed requests take two to three weeks. Include a check payable to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the country of destination, and a prepaid return envelope.⁷

1
City of Boston. How to Get a Birth Certificate
2
City of Boston. Request for a Certified Copy of a Birth Certificate
3
City of Boston. Registry: Birth, Death, and Marriage
4
General Court of Massachusetts. Massachusetts General Laws Part I, Title VII, Chapter 46, Section 2A
5
Mass.gov. Order a Birth, Marriage, or Death Certificate
6
Mass.gov. Amend or Correct a Birth, Death, or Marriage Record
7
Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Apostilles and Certifications