How to Get a Replacement Birth Certificate in Connecticut

To get a replacement birth certificate in Connecticut, submit a completed application, a copy of your photo ID, and a money order to either the State Vital Records Office in Hartford or the town clerk where the birth took place. A certified copy costs $30 from the state and $20 from a town office. Mail requests to the state can take up to 12 weeks, so if you need the certificate for a passport, license, or school deadline, order early or go in person.

Who Can Order a Copy

Connecticut keeps birth records less than 100 years old confidential, so only certain people can request a certified copy. Under Connecticut General Statutes Section 7-51, that list includes the person named on the certificate (if they are at least 18, an emancipated minor, or a certified homeless youth), a parent, legal guardian, legal custodian, grandparent, spouse, child, or grandchild, an attorney representing the person or their parent, guardian, child, or surviving spouse, authorized agents of approved state or federal agencies, a court-appointed conservator, members of a genealogical society authorized to operate in Connecticut, and researchers approved by the Department of Public Health.¹

When you are ordering someone else’s certificate, you have to prove the relationship. If you are requesting a parent’s certificate, for example, you would include a copy of your own birth certificate to show the parent-child link.²

What Goes on the Application

Download the application from the Connecticut Department of Public Health website, or pick up a paper copy at a town clerk’s office.³ There are separate forms for state and town requests, so grab the one that matches where you plan to file.

The form asks for the full name of the person as it appeared at birth, their date and place of birth, and both parents’ full names including the mother’s maiden name. You also fill in your own contact information and your relationship to the person on the certificate.

For ID, include a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID such as a driver’s license, state ID card, or passport. Without a photo ID, you can substitute two alternative documents, at least one showing your name and current address. A Social Security card, employment ID, or recent utility bill can work.

Three Ways to File

By Mail

Send the application, photocopies of your ID, and a money order to:

Connecticut Department of Public Health
State Vital Records Office
410 Capitol Avenue, MS#11VRS
Hartford, CT 06106⁴

You can also mail the request to the town where the birth occurred. Mailing addresses for all 169 Connecticut towns are on the Department of Public Health’s contact page.

In Person

The State Vital Records Office in Hartford takes walk-ins on a limited schedule:

Monday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Friday, 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.⁴

Photo ID is required to enter the building. Bring the completed application, your original ID, and payment. You can also go to the town clerk where the birth was recorded. Town hours vary, so call ahead.

Online

VitalChek is the only third-party vendor the Department of Public Health has approved for online orders.² You upload digital copies of your ID and pay by credit card. VitalChek adds its own service fee on top of the certificate cost, so an online order runs higher than mail or in person.

Fees and Payment

A certified copy from the State Vital Records Office is $30. From a town office, a full-size certified copy is $20, and a wallet-size copy is $15.⁵ The wallet-size version carries less information and is not accepted as ID for a passport or driver’s license, so order the full-size copy if you need it for any government purpose.⁶

Payment to the state must be a money order made out to “Treasurer, State of Connecticut.” Town offices also require money orders, made payable to the specific town. Personal checks are not accepted at either level. Some town offices accept cash or credit cards for in-person orders, but this varies. Online payments through VitalChek are by credit card.

Certified homeless youth may qualify for a fee waiver when ordering their own birth certificate under Connecticut General Statutes Section 7-51.¹

How Long It Takes

Mailed requests to the State Vital Records Office can take up to 12 weeks to process.⁵ Town offices generally move faster, though exact turnaround varies. In-person requests at either the state or a town clerk may be handled the same day when your paperwork is complete, but that is not guaranteed during busy periods. To check on a request already in the system, call the office where you filed it.

Where You Can Order Based on Birth Date

The offices available to you depend partly on when the birth occurred. For births before January 1, 2003, you have three choices: the town where the birth happened, the town where the mother lived at the time, or the State Vital Records Office. For births on or after January 1, 2003, the mother’s town of residence is not an option; you can order from the town of birth or from the state. The State Vital Records Office holds records for every Connecticut birth regardless of date.⁷

What to Do If the Certificate Has an Error

How you correct a mistake depends on what is wrong. For a typo or clerical error in the person’s name, a parent can request a fix within 30 days of birth by bringing the Parent Notice from the hospital to the local registrar. After that window, the person named on the certificate (once over 18) or a custodial parent or guardian can request a name correction by providing two pieces of documentary evidence from early childhood, covering birth through age seven.⁸

Acceptable supporting documents include a newspaper birth announcement, a Social Security number application printout, an early childhood baptismal record, kindergarten or first-grade school records, or a letter from the birth hospital confirming the error. To correct a date of birth, time of birth, or birth weight, you need documentation from the attending clinician or the hospital where the birth took place.

1
Connecticut General Assembly. Connecticut General Statutes Chapter 93 – Registrars of Vital Statistics
2
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Birth Certificates
3
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Applications and Forms
4
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Contact Us – State Vital Records Office
5
Connecticut Department of Public Health. How to Obtain a Vital Record
6
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Request for a Certified Copy of a Birth Record From Town
7
Connecticut Department of Public Health. Vital Records
8
Cornell Law Institute. Connecticut Agencies Regulations 19a-41-9 – Amending or Correcting Birth Certificates