To get a replacement birth certificate in Texas, order a certified copy from the Vital Statistics Section of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). You can apply online through Texas.gov, by mail, or in person at a local registrar or county clerk’s office. The fee is $22 per copy. In-person orders are usually filled the same day; online orders take roughly 20 to 25 business days, and mailed applications take 25 to 30 business days.1Texas DSHS. Processing Times
Who Can Order a Copy
Texas birth records are closed for 75 years from the date of birth, so during that window only a “qualified applicant” may request a certified copy.2Texas Department of State Health Services. Request Procedures That means:
- The person named on the certificate
- A parent, child, sibling, grandparent, or current spouse
- A legal guardian or authorized representative with a court order, power of attorney, or notarized release from an immediate family member
Grandchildren are not treated as immediate family for this purpose. If you fall outside the list, you’ll need a notarized statement from an immediate family member naming you and granting permission, along with a copy of your photo ID.
What to Gather Before You Apply
Every application needs enough information to locate the record. Have these ready:
- Full name at birth
- Date of birth
- City or county of birth
- Both parents’ full names, including the mother’s maiden name
Spelling matters. A mismatch between what you write and what’s in the state database will delay the order.
Identification
Texas Administrative Code Section 181.28 lays out acceptable ID in tiers.3Legal Information Institute. 25 Texas Administrative Code 181.28 – Instructions and Requirements for Issuance of Certified Copies of Vital Records A single current, valid primary photo ID is enough on its own: a driver’s license, state ID, military ID, U.S. passport, concealed handgun license, or pilot’s license. Without a primary ID, you’ll need two secondary documents, or one secondary plus two supporting documents. Secondary options include an expired primary ID, a signed Social Security card, a student ID, a Medicaid or Medicare card, or a DD-214. Supporting documents are things like utility bills and bank statements.
The Form and Notarization Rule
The paper application is Form VS-140, available on the DSHS website or from a local registrar.4Texas Department of State Health Services. Vital Applications and Forms If you’re mailing it, the form must be notarized. The VS-140 contains an affidavit section you sign in front of a notary public, and you must include a copy of your valid ID in the envelope.5Texas Department of State Health Services. Mail Application for Birth Record Mail applications missing the signature, notarization, or ID copy will not be processed. Online and in-person orders do not require notarization.
The Three Ways to Submit
Online
The official portal is at ovra.txapps.texas.gov.6Texas Department of State Health Services. Order a Birth Certificate You’ll pick your relationship to the person named on the record, enter the birth details, verify your identity, and pay by credit or debit card. Expect 20 to 25 business days for the copy to arrive.
By Mail
Complete and notarize Form VS-140, attach a copy of your ID, and send it with a check or money order payable to DSHS to:7Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records – Texas
DSHS – Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 12040
Austin, TX 78711-2040
If you’re paying for expedited service, don’t use regular mail. DSHS requires expedited requests to arrive by overnight carrier (FedEx, UPS, or similar) at the physical office: Vital Statistics Unit, 1100 W. 49th Street, Austin, TX 78756. Standard mail orders generally take 25 to 30 business days.
In Person
Visit a local registrar’s office or the county clerk in the county where the birth was recorded. Bring your completed application, acceptable ID, and payment. Most offices hand you the certified copy the same day, though some requests take 24 hours or longer.8Texas DSHS. Birth Records The $22 fee is the same whether you order through a local office or the state.
Fees, Expedited Service, and Waivers
A certified copy costs $22 whether you order the long form (needed for a U.S. passport) or the short form (used for school enrollment and most everyday purposes).9Legal Information Institute. 25 Texas Administrative Code 181.22 – Fees Charged for Vital Records Services The fee is non-refundable even if the state searches and finds no matching record.
To move your request to the front of the line, expedited processing adds $25 per application. Faster return shipping is a separate charge: $16 for overnight delivery inside the U.S., or $22.95 for USPS Express Mail to a P.O. Box.10Texas DSHS. Costs and Fees A fully expedited order with overnight return runs about $63 for one copy. Online and in-person orders accept credit and debit cards; mail orders should use a check or money order payable to DSHS.
Several groups can get a certified copy at no charge. Foster youth in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services, homeless youth as defined by federal law, and young adults ages 18 through 20 in a DFPS-funded foster placement can receive a birth certificate free and without parental consent.11Texas Legislature. HB 123 – Enrolled Foster youth should bring DFPS Form 2042 (Foster Care Residency Verification), though other official DFPS documentation may also be accepted. Texas law also waives the fee for veterans and their dependents when the record is needed to settle a government claim, and for anyone requesting a birth record in order to obtain a free election identification certificate.12State of Texas. Texas Health and Safety Code 191.0045 – Fees
If Your Birth Certificate Has an Error
Ordering another copy of a flawed record just gives you another flawed record. To fix a misspelled name, wrong date, or missing parent, you need to amend the underlying record first using Form VS-170 (Application to Amend Certificate of Birth).13Texas Department of State Health Services. Correcting a Birth Certificate
Simple corrections can go through with the form and a supporting document such as a hospital, baptismal, or school record. Fixing a hospital data-entry error before the child’s first birthday needs only the hospital’s signature on the application. Adding or correcting a first or middle name before age one works the same way.
A court order is required to:
- Change a child’s first, middle, or last name (not fixing a typo, but switching to a different name)
- Remove information from the record
- Correct a field that has already been amended once; any second amendment to the same item needs a court order
The filing fee is $15 for a standard correction and $25 to add, remove, or replace a parent. Once the amendment is processed, you can order a certified copy of the corrected record for the usual $22.
If No Record of Your Birth Exists
If Vital Statistics has no record of your birth, often the case with older home births or rural births, replacement isn’t the right path. You start a delayed birth registration.14Texas DSHS. Delayed Birth Registration First request a search; if it comes back “not found,” DSHS provides the forms for a delayed filing. The application must be signed in front of a notary, and the documentation required grows with the applicant’s age. Acceptable records include a Texas driver’s license application, DD-214, religious records signed by an official, school enrollment records, Social Security Administration records, U.S. Census records, and hospital or medical records. All must be originals or certified copies from independent sources, and submitting fraudulent documents results in immediate denial.