How to Get My Child’s Birth Certificate in Georgia: Steps and Fees

To get a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate in Georgia, you order it from the State Office of Vital Records or any county vital records office. You can apply online, by mail, or in person. The state fee is $25 for the first copy and $5 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.{¹} In-person requests at a county office are the fastest route; online and mail orders can take up to 10 weeks.{²}

Who Can Order the Certificate

Either parent listed on the birth record can request a certified copy. One exception matters: a biological parent who lost legal custody through adoption cannot access the child’s birth records without a court order.{³}

The state registrar or the local office may ask for additional proof of identity or a sworn statement before releasing the record, so plan to verify who you are and your relationship to the child.{³}

What to Have Ready Before You Apply

Two things: information about your child, and your own photo ID.

The application asks for:{⁴}

Your child’s full name (middle names are requested but not required)
Date of birth
City or county where the birth took place
Full name of the father, if listed on the certificate
Full maiden name of the mother, if listed on the certificate

For identification, Georgia’s official ordering portal specifies a current state-issued driver’s license or ID card.{⁴} County offices generally accept any unexpired photo ID, but a Georgia ID expired more than one year is not accepted, and any out-of-state ID must be current.{⁵}

Three Ways to Order

Online

The Georgia Department of Public Health links to three approved online services: ROVER (run by the Georgia Technology Authority), GO Certificates, and VitalChek. You fill out an application, upload copies of your ID, and pay with a major credit or debit card. Third-party vendors add a service fee on top of the $25 state fee, so the total runs higher than what you’d pay in person. Processing and shipping through ROVER still takes up to 10 weeks.{²}

By Mail

Send the completed application, a clear photocopy of your valid photo ID, and payment by money order or certified check to:

State Office of Vital Records
1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100
Atlanta, GA 30349{⁶}

Do not send cash. Make the money order or certified check payable to the State Office of Vital Records. Mail requests run on the same 8-to-10-week processing window as online orders.

In Person

You can walk into the State Office of Vital Records in Atlanta or any county vital records office in the state.{⁷} Bring your original photo ID, the completed application, and an accepted form of payment. County offices typically take cash, certified checks, money orders, and Visa or MasterCard debit and credit cards, though card policies vary by location.

If you need the certificate quickly, a county office is your best option. The State Office of Vital Records in Atlanta does not offer same-day service.{⁸}

Fees and Extra Copies

The state charges $25 for the first certified copy and $5 for each additional copy ordered at the same time.{¹} Ordering two or three copies at once is often worth it, since you’ll likely need certified copies for school enrollment, passport applications, and similar purposes over the years.

ROVER offers an expedited shipping option for $16 per order, but that only speeds up delivery after the certificate has been processed. It does not shorten the standard processing time, which stays at up to 10 weeks.{²} This catches a lot of parents off guard: paying for expedited shipping does not mean you’ll receive the certificate in a week.

If the office searches its records and finds no matching birth certificate on file, the search fee is not refunded. Leave yourself plenty of lead time before any deadline that requires the certificate.

Fixing an Error on the Certificate

Errors on birth certificates are common: a misspelled name, a wrong date, an incorrect county. Georgia handles corrections differently depending on how old your child is when you catch the mistake.

Within the First Year

If you spot the error within the first year of your child’s life, file a current year correction. There is no charge, and the Department of Public Health has a specific affidavit form for it.{⁷} Corrections made within one year of the birth can be processed without the certificate being marked “amended.”{⁹} Move quickly if you notice a problem, because the process becomes more involved after that.

After the First Year

Once your child is over a year old, changes are handled as general amendments. These cover legal name changes, adoptions, legitimations, adding a spouse’s information, and paternity acknowledgments.{⁷} You file Form 3977 (Affidavit for Amendment) with the State Office of Vital Records along with supporting documentation. Certificates amended after the first year are marked “amended” on their face.{⁹}

A legal name change requires a certified copy of the court order from a Georgia superior court directing the change. When the state registrar receives that order, the certificate is amended to show the new name.{⁹}

Adding a Father’s Name Later

How a father’s name appears on a birth certificate depends on marital status at the time of the child’s birth. If the mother was married at the time of conception or birth, her husband’s name is entered as the father automatically. If the mother was not married, the father’s name goes on the certificate only with written consent from both the mother and the man to be named.{¹⁰}

If the father’s name was not included at the time of birth, unmarried parents can sign a Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment form at the hospital, the State Office of Vital Records, or the county vital records office where the child was born. A court order establishing paternity or a legitimation order also works. Once paternity is established through any of these methods, a new birth certificate showing the father’s name can be issued.{¹¹}

Removing or replacing a father’s name that already appears on the certificate is different. That requires a court order specifying both the name to be removed and the name to be added.{⁹}

1
Georgia Department of Public Health. Fees
2
Georgia Department of Public Health. Order Certificate Online
3
Legal Information Institute. Georgia Comp R and Regs R 511-1-3-.33 – Disclosure of Vital Records and Information
4
Georgia.gov. Order a Birth or Death Certificate
5
South Health District. Birth Certificates
6
Georgia Department of Public Health. Georgia State Office of Vital Records
7
Georgia Department of Public Health. Ways to Request Vital Records – Birth
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Georgia.gov. FAQs About Certificates
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 31-10-23 – Amendment of Certificates or Reports
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Justia Law. Georgia Code 31-10-9 – Registration of Births
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Georgia Department of Public Health. Paternity Acknowledgment