To get a birth certificate in Florida, submit Form DH 726 with a copy of your photo ID and the $9 fee to the state Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, either by mail, in person at a county health department, or online through VitalChek. The Bureau, part of the Department of Health, holds birth records back to 1917 for most births and limited records as far back as 1850.1Florida Department of Health. Birth Certificates Additional copies ordered at the same time are $4 each.
Who Can Request the Record
Florida keeps birth records confidential for 125 years after the date of birth.2FindLaw. Florida Code 382.025 – Certified Copies of Vital Records; Confidentiality; Research While that window is open, only certain people qualify to order a certified copy:
- The person named on the certificate (the registrant), once they turn 18.
- Either parent listed on the certificate, if the registrant is under 18.
- A legal guardian or authorized representative, with court documentation of that authority.3Legal Information Institute. Florida Administrative Code 64V-1.0131 – Certifications of Vital Records; Information Required for Release; Applicant Identification Requirements
After 125 years, if no court has sealed the record, it becomes public and anyone can request it.
If the Person on the Certificate Has Died
When the Department of Health has the death record on file, it can issue a birth certificate stamped “Deceased” to immediate family members of legal age: a surviving spouse, child, grandchild, or sibling. Write “Registrant Deceased” on the application and include a photocopy of the death certificate.1Florida Department of Health. Birth Certificates
What to Put on the Application
The form you need is DH 726, “Application for Florida Birth Certificate,” available on the Department of Health website.4Florida Department of Health. Application for Florida Birth Certificate It asks for your relationship to the registrant and four identifying details:
- The registrant’s full name as recorded at birth, not any later legal name.
- The exact date of birth.
- The Florida county where the birth took place.
- The father’s full name and the mother’s full maiden name.
Misspelled or partial parent names are one of the most common reasons the Bureau can’t locate a record. If you’re unsure of the spelling, list any variations you know.
Photo ID Rules
Every request needs a legible copy of a valid, unexpired photo ID: a driver’s license, state ID card, passport, or military ID. For mail-in requests, include copies of the front and back.4Florida Department of Health. Application for Florida Birth Certificate
If your primary ID is foreign-issued (a foreign driver’s license, ID card, consular card, or Matricula card), you must add two more forms of identification. Acceptable supplements include a vehicle registration, health insurance card, employment ID, school ID, a tax document, or a piece of mail showing your current address.4Florida Department of Health. Application for Florida Birth Certificate
Three Ways to Order
You can order by mail, in person at a local county health department, or online through VitalChek. The state fee is the same across methods; processing speed and add-on charges differ.
By Mail
Mail your completed DH 726, a copy of your photo ID, and payment to the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville.5Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Where to Write for Vital Records – Florida The first computer-generated certified copy is $9, which includes a non-refundable search fee, and each additional copy ordered at the same time is $4. A $1 shipping and handling fee also applies. Pay by check or money order made out to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Normal processing runs three to five business days, plus shipping. Photocopy certificates and amended records take longer.1Florida Department of Health. Birth Certificates
If you specifically need a photocopy of the original filed document instead of a computer-generated version, the first copy is $14 rather than $9. Additional copies stay at $4 each.1Florida Department of Health. Birth Certificates
In Person at a County Health Department
Most local county health departments in Florida can issue certified copies of birth records from 1917 forward. County fees may differ from the state Bureau’s schedule.1Florida Department of Health. Birth Certificates Same-day walk-in service at the state Bureau, when available, carries an extra $10 rush fee. Call or check the county office’s website before heading over, since walk-in hours vary.
Online Through VitalChek
VitalChek is the state’s only recommended third-party vendor for online and phone orders.6Florida Department of Health. Certificates and Records It takes credit cards and usually ships faster than a mail request, but layers its own service and processing fees on top of the state’s $9 base. If timing isn’t tight, mailing the Bureau directly avoids those charges.
Certified Versus Commemorative
A certified copy from the Bureau carries a raised seal and works as official proof of the recorded birth facts. Florida also sells a commemorative birth certificate with the Governor’s signature meant to be framed as a keepsake. Commemorative certificates are not valid for official uses such as a passport application or school enrollment.7Florida Department of Health. Commemorative Birth Certificates
Fee Waivers
Florida waives birth certificate fees entirely for a few groups: unaccompanied homeless youth, young adults who were in Department of Children and Families custody when they turned 18, inmates obtaining a state ID before release, and juvenile offenders receiving reentry services.8The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 382.0255 – Fees
Using the Certificate Abroad
A certified copy alone will satisfy most domestic uses. If you need Florida’s birth certificate accepted in another Hague Apostille Convention country, that’s a second step: an apostille from the Florida Secretary of State, obtained after you already have the certified copy in hand.
Send the Department of State’s Apostille and Notarial Certificate Request Form together with your original certified copy (not a photocopy), a self-addressed stamped envelope or pre-paid air bill, and payment. The fee is $10 per document, or $20 if the certified copy was issued by a county Clerk of Court, because a Certificate of Incumbency is then required.9Florida Department of State. Authentications (Apostilles and Notarial Certifications) Pay by check or money order made out to the Florida Department of State. Cash and credit cards aren’t accepted for apostille requests.
If the Birth Was Followed by an Adoption
Once a Florida adoption is finalized, the original birth certificate is sealed by court order, and the Bureau issues a new certificate naming the adoptive parents as the legal parents.10The Florida Legislature. Florida Code 63.162 – Hearings and Records in Adoption Proceedings; Confidential Nature11Florida Senate. Florida Code 382.013 – Birth Registration The certificate you can order through the process above will be that amended version, not the original.
Unsealing the original requires a court petition and a showing of good cause. Judges have historically granted these when there’s a medical necessity, such as a treatment decision that turns on biological family health history. A general wish to know one’s biological parents has traditionally been a harder case to make in Florida courts.
Adult adoptees who want contact without going through court can use the Florida Adoption Reunion Registry, run by the Department of Children and Families since 1982. It’s a passive matching system: when two or more people affected by the same Florida adoption register, FARR contacts both to ask about connecting. It doesn’t search for anyone.12Florida Department of Children and Families. Florida Adoption Reunion Registry Since July 2020, Florida also allows release of a birth parent’s identifying information without a court order when the birth parent has authorized the disclosure in writing.