How to Get a Newborn Birth Certificate in Texas

To get a newborn birth certificate in Texas, you wait for the hospital or birthing center to file the birth registration with the state, then order a certified copy from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) online, by mail, or in person. The base fee is $23 per copy.¹ How fast you get it depends on the ordering method you choose and whether the record has been processed yet.

What the Hospital Files For You

Texas law requires every birth to be registered within five days.² If your baby is born in a hospital or birthing center, a birth registrar on staff collects your information and enters it into the state’s electronic registration system. You’ll review and sign a document called the Verification of Birth Fact confirming that everything is correct before the facility submits the record to the DSHS Vital Statistics Unit.³

Read it carefully. Check the spelling of every name, the date, the time, and both parents’ details. Corrections after the fact are possible, but they add weeks to a process that is already slow.

If religious beliefs require waiting to name the child, the filing deadline extends to 15 days, but you need to tell the birth registrar in advance.²

When the Record Is Ready to Order

The hospital’s filing has to reach DSHS and be processed before you can order a certified copy. If you walk into a local registrar’s office days after the birth, the record may not be in the system yet. Call before you go.

Who Can Request a Certified Copy

Texas limits certified copies to a “properly qualified applicant” to protect against identity fraud. For a newborn, that usually means a parent named on the certificate or a legal guardian. Spouses, siblings, grandparents, and adult children of the person named on the certificate are also eligible. If you’re requesting on behalf of someone else, expect to provide a court order or power-of-attorney document along with your own ID.

Identification You’ll Need

DSHS uses a tiered ID system. One document from the top tier is enough; otherwise, you combine documents from the lower tiers:⁴

Group A, one required: U.S. state driver’s license, federal or state ID card, military ID, U.S. passport, License to Carry a Handgun, pilot’s license, or USCIS Permanent Resident Card.
Group B, two required if no Group A: current student ID, expired Group A document, signed Social Security card, Medicaid or Medicare card, foreign passport with U.S. visa, or private employer ID card.
Group C, two required plus one Group B if no Group A: recent utility or cell phone bill, paycheck stub, bank statement, voter registration card, or marriage license.

Mail orders take a photocopy of your ID. In-person orders need the original.⁵

The Three Ways to Order

Online Through Texas.gov

Online ordering through the DSHS portal is the fastest route for most parents.⁶ The system verifies your identity electronically using your Texas driver’s license or state ID number, so you’ll need one on hand. Processing currently runs about 20 to 25 business days, not counting shipping.⁷ Additional processing and shipping fees apply beyond the $23 certificate cost.

By Mail

Download Form VS-140 from the DSHS website, complete it, and have your signature notarized. Notarization is required specifically for mailed birth certificate requests.⁸ Send the form along with a photocopy of your acceptable ID and payment to the DSHS Vital Statistics Section or your local registrar. Mail orders to DSHS currently take about 25 to 30 business days.⁷

In Person

You can walk into a local registrar’s office or the DSHS Vital Statistics Unit in Austin with your original ID, a completed application, and payment. Local registrars often offer same-day service, which makes this the right choice when you need the certificate quickly. Again, the record has to be in the system before anyone can print a copy.

What It Costs

A certified copy costs $23, whether you order from DSHS or a local registrar.¹ That total already includes a $2 statutory surcharge and up to $1 for local records preservation. Each additional copy is another $23. The search portion of the fee is non-refundable even if no record is found. Online and phone orders add processing and shipping charges on top of the $23 base.

If Your Baby Was Born at Home

Home births put more of the filing work on you. If a doctor, licensed midwife, or certified attendant was present, that provider can file the birth certificate with the local registrar directly, and the same five-day deadline applies.⁹

If no licensed attendant was there, the parents (or the property owner where the birth happened) must register the birth in person with the local registrar and provide three categories of documentation:²

Proof of pregnancy: a notarized affidavit from a licensed healthcare provider, or a notarized affidavit with a photo ID copy from a non-parent who knew about the pregnancy and birth.
Proof the baby was born alive: a medical record or letter from a healthcare provider or medical institution, or a notarized affidavit with photo ID from a non-parent witness.
Proof the birth occurred in that registration district: a utility bill, lease receipt, or driver’s license showing the mother’s address if the birth happened at her home, or a notarized affidavit from someone who can confirm she was in the district on the date of birth.

Gathering these documents inside the five-day window is tight, so start lining them up before the birth if you can.⁹

If the Parents Aren’t Married

When parents are not married, the father’s name does not go on the birth certificate automatically. Both parents have to sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP), the legal document that establishes the father’s parental rights.¹⁰ Hospitals are AOP-certified, so most parents complete it right after birth alongside the registration paperwork.

If you miss the hospital window, you can sign the AOP later through any entity certified by the Texas Attorney General’s office. Both parents work with the same certified entity, but they don’t have to appear together; separate locations or dates can be arranged.¹¹

Either parent can rescind the AOP by filing Form VS-158 within 60 days after the AOP was filed with the Vital Statistics Unit, or before any court proceeding related to the child begins, whichever comes first.¹¹ After that, challenging paternity requires a court proceeding.

One situation to flag: if the mother is married to someone other than the biological father, the husband is legally presumed to be the father. The mother and her spouse both have to complete the Denial of Paternity section of the AOP before the biological father can be listed on the certificate.¹¹

Fixing a Mistake on the Certificate

If the hospital made the error and your child is under one year old, call the hospital. The facility signs and submits the amendment, and you don’t need to provide supporting documents.¹² This is the easiest path, which is why proofreading the Verification of Birth Fact before you leave the hospital matters so much.

To add or change a child’s first or middle name before the first birthday, no supporting documentation is required. You submit a signed, notarized amendment form (VS-170), a copy of your ID, and payment. After the first birthday, you’ll need supporting documentation such as a hospital record, a baptismal certificate from the first five years, or a Social Security Numident printout.¹²

Corrections to the date of birth, place of birth, or parent information require a hospital record, a letter from the medical facility explaining the error, or a court order. Amendment processing through DSHS by mail runs about 25 to 30 business days.⁷

Social Security Number and Passport

While you’re completing the birth registration paperwork at the hospital, you can also request a Social Security number for your newborn through the Enumeration at Birth program. The hospital sends the registration information to the Social Security Administration electronically, which saves you a trip to a Social Security office.¹³ National average processing is about two weeks after SSA receives the data, with up to another two weeks for the card to arrive. Plan on four to six weeks from the date of birth. If you want to claim the child as a dependent on your taxes, you’ll need the SSN first, so don’t skip the hospital request.

If international travel is in the picture, the certified birth certificate is the first document you’ll need for a child’s passport. For a passport application under age 16, both parents or guardians generally must appear in person with the child at an acceptance facility, bringing Form DS-11, the child’s certified birth certificate showing the registrar’s seal and both parents’ names, parent photo ID, and a passport photo of the child. If one parent cannot appear, that parent signs a notarized Statement of Consent (Form DS-3053). A child’s passport book costs $135 ($100 application plus $35 facility acceptance fee), a passport card is $50, and both together are $150.¹⁴

1
Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees
2
State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code 192.003 – Birth Certificate Filed or Birth Reported
3
Texas Department of State Health Services. Life of a Birth Record
4
Texas Department of State Health Services. Acceptable Identification (ID)
5
Texas Department of State Health Services. Requirements for Mail and In-Person Orders
6
Texas Department of State Health Services. Order Vital Records
7
Texas Department of State Health Services. Processing Times
8
Texas Department of State Health Services. Mail Application for Birth Record VS-140
9
Texas Department of State Health Services. Birth Registration Handbook
10
State of Texas. Texas Family Code 160.301 – Acknowledgment of Paternity
11
Office of the Attorney General of Texas. Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP)
12
Texas Department of State Health Services. Supporting Documentation for Record Changes and Corrections
13
Social Security Administration. What Is Enumeration at Birth and How Does It Work?
14
Travel.State.Gov. Apply for a Child’s Passport Under 16