How to Get a Child Birth Certificate in Tennessee

To get a certified copy of a child’s birth certificate in Tennessee, submit application form PH-1654 to the Office of Vital Records with proof of your identity and a $15 fee per copy. You can file in person at the state office in Nashville or at any county health department, by mail, or online through VitalChek, the state’s only authorized online vendor. Walk-in requests are typically handled the same day; mail and online orders take about three business days to process once received.¹

Who Can Order the Record

Births within the past 75 years are protected records in Tennessee, so the office will not release a certified copy to just anyone. A child’s parent, spouse, or legal guardian can request a copy. Tennessee residents can order records for themselves or an immediate family member, and people living out of state can order their own record or their child’s if they are named as a parent on it.²

Someone else can order on your behalf if they bring a signed permission statement from an eligible requester. If you aren’t a parent, child, or spouse, you’ll need to show documentation of your right to the record, such as a custody order, letters of testamentary, or an insurance policy naming you as a beneficiary.³

What to Gather Before You Apply

Download form PH-1654 from the Tennessee Department of Health website.⁴ You’ll fill in:

The child’s full name at birth
Date of birth
City, county, and hospital of birth
Father’s full name
Mother’s full maiden name

The more accurate the details, the faster the office can pull the record. If you aren’t sure about the hospital or the exact spelling used at the time, write your best information and note the uncertainty.

Identification

You have two options. Either sign the application in front of a notary (in which case no ID copy is required), or send a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID with the application.⁵ One item from the primary list is enough: a current driver’s license, passport, military ID, permanent resident card, employment authorization card, or certificate of naturalization. If you don’t have any of those, two secondary items work, such as a recent pay stub, voter registration card, utility bill with your name and address, signed Social Security card, or vehicle registration.⁶

How to Submit the Request

In Person

Walking in is the fastest route. The Tennessee Office of Vital Records is on the 1st floor of the Andrew Johnson Tower, 710 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, TN 37243, with the entrance on the Rosa Parks Boulevard side. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.⁷ Straightforward in-person orders are usually processed the same day.¹

You don’t have to travel to Nashville. Every county health department in Tennessee can now issue birth certificates registered statewide with the Office of Vital Records, no matter which county the birth took place in.³ Bring your completed application, your ID, and payment. In-person counters accept cash, checks, credit or debit cards, and money orders.⁸

By Mail

Mail your completed PH-1654, a photocopy of your ID (or the notarized application), and a check or money order payable to “Tennessee Vital Records” to:⁸

Tennessee Vital Records
1st Floor, Andrew Johnson Tower
710 James Robertson Parkway
Nashville, TN 37243

Processing time is about three business days once the request arrives, so plan on roughly one to two weeks total after you factor in mail each way.¹

Online

The state does not take online orders directly. VitalChek is the only authorized online vendor.⁸ Processing on the state’s end still runs about three business days, and VitalChek adds its own processing and shipping fees on top of the $15 state fee. You can see the full price on VitalChek’s site before you confirm the order.

Fees

Each certified copy costs $15, including additional copies ordered at the same time. If the office searches and can’t locate the record, you still pay the $15 and receive a “no record found” letter.⁹ Mail orders must be paid by check or money order; counters take cash, checks, cards, and money orders; VitalChek takes credit and debit cards.⁸

If You Just Had the Baby

Hospitals handle the initial registration, so you don’t need to file anything yourself to start the record. Certified copies are generally available five to ten business days after the birth.¹⁰ Ordering sooner will come back as “no record found,” so wait at least a week. Before you leave the hospital, check the spelling of the child’s name, both parents’ names, and the date of birth on the paperwork you sign. Fixing a mistake later takes real work.

Adding a Father’s Name

If no father was listed at birth, the name can be added without a court order when all of these are true: the child is under 19, the mother was not married at the time of birth or within 300 days before it, both parents want the name added, and no father is currently listed. Both parents complete a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity form, available at the Office of Vital Records, any Tennessee Child Support Office, or any county health department.¹¹ If any condition isn’t met, you’ll need a court order establishing paternity first.

Correcting an Error

Within the first year, the State Registrar can fix obvious errors like transposed letters or missing information. The person who originally supplied the information submits an affidavit explaining the correction, and the registrar may ask for supporting documentation.¹² A parent can change a child’s given name within the first year with just a parental affidavit.

After the first year, the process is stricter. You submit an affidavit identifying the certificate, the error, and the correction, along with documentary evidence created either at least five years before you apply or within seven years of the birth. Changing a date of birth has particularly tight evidence rules; you’ll typically need a document created before the child’s tenth birthday showing the correct date. If the change comes from a court-ordered legal name change, you provide the court decree to the Office of Vital Records instead of going through the standard amendment process.¹²

1
State of Tennessee Department of Health. How Long Will It Take
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Eastern District of Tennessee. Birth Certificate
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Tennessee Department of Health. Tennessee Office of Vital Records
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Tennessee Department of Health. Applications
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State of Tennessee Department of Health. Identification Requirements
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Tennessee Department of Health. PH-1654 Application for Certified Copy of a Tennessee Certificate of Live Birth
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Tennessee Department of Health. Tennessee Office of Vital Records
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Tennessee Department of Health. How Do I Get My Certificate
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State of Tennessee Department of Health. Fees
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State of Tennessee Department of Health. When Will a Certified Copy of Their Birth Certificate Be Available
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State of Tennessee Department of Health. Adding a Father’s Name to a Birth Certificate
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Legal Information Institute. Tennessee Comp R Regs 1200-07-01-10 – Amendment of Vital Records