To order an Arizona birth certificate, complete the state’s Request for Copy of Birth Certificate form, prove you’re eligible under state rules, show a government-issued photo ID, and pay $20 per certified copy. You can submit the application in person at the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records or a county registrar, by mail, or online through VitalChek. Walk-ins usually leave with the certificate the same day; mail orders take two to four weeks.
Who Is Allowed to Order the Record
Arizona keeps birth records closed. Only people with a direct connection to the person named on the certificate can get a copy, and the categories are set by Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-210.1Justia Regulations. Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-210
- The person named on the certificate, if they are 18 or married.
- A parent listed on the record.
- The person’s spouse.
- Grandparents, adult children, adult grandchildren, and adult siblings.
- A legal guardian or conservator, with a certified copy of the court order.
- An attorney representing the person, a parent, or a guardian.
- Someone holding a power of attorney from the person’s parent or guardian.
- A government agency processing a benefit, financial claim, or adoption.
ARS § 36-324(F) also lets a person as young as 16 request their own certificate if they have no residential address or are in the custody of the Department of Child Safety.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 36-324 – Vital Records; Copies; Access Anyone outside these categories needs a court order.
What Goes on the Application
The Request for Copy of Birth Certificate form is a one-page PDF on the AZDHS website and is also available in paper at county vital records offices. The top half asks for details about the person on the certificate: full name as it appears on the record, exact date of birth, sex, and place of birth including town, county, state, and hospital. You also enter both parents’ full names. For the mother or birthing parent, use the name used before her first marriage, with her date of birth and state or country of birth. The same information is required for the father or second parent. If the person belongs to an Arizona tribe, name the tribe, because that helps the Bureau find the record.3Arizona Department of Health Services. Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth Certificate
The bottom half is about you. Fill in your name, mailing address, daytime phone, email, and your relationship to the person on the certificate, and check the matching box: parent, self, sibling, grandparent, legal guardian, spouse, government agency, or other.
Proof of Relationship
You have to document how you qualify. Requesting your own certificate? Your photo ID with a matching name and date of birth usually does it. Parents can submit a copy of another child’s birth certificate showing the same parent names. Guardians need a certified court order. Spouses can send a marriage certificate. Without this documentation, the Bureau won’t process the request.3Arizona Department of Health Services. Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth Certificate
Photo ID
Arizona requires a valid government-issued photo ID from every applicant: a state driver’s license, state ID card, U.S. passport, or federal ID. In person, bring the original so staff can compare the photo and signature to your application. By mail, enclose a clear photocopy of the front and back.4VitalChek. Arizona Vital Records (AZ) – Order Certificates
No photo ID? The only alternative is to have your signature on the application notarized; the notary block is built into the form. The state does not accept combinations of non-photo documents like utility bills or Social Security cards as a substitute.5Maricopa County, AZ. More Resources – Section: Identification Requirements
Three Ways to Submit
In Person
Walk-in service is the fastest option, and most applicants leave the same day. The state Bureau of Vital Records is at 150 North 18th Avenue, Suite 120, Phoenix, AZ 85007, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except state holidays. One quirk: the office opens at noon on the first Friday of every month.6Arizona Department of Health Services. Bureau of Vital Records Maricopa, Pima, and most other counties process birth certificate requests at their own offices with their own hours.
By Mail
Mail the completed application, a front-and-back photocopy of your ID (or a notarized application in place of a copy), your proof of relationship, a self-addressed stamped envelope, and your payment to:
Bureau of Vital Records
PO Box 6018
Phoenix, AZ 85005
Sign the form with an original signature. Photocopied or digital signatures are not accepted. Check every field before you seal the envelope, because the Bureau returns incomplete applications by mail rather than calling you to fix them. Mail turnaround is two to four weeks from the date the Bureau receives your packet.7Pima County. Order a Birth or Death Certificate
Online Through VitalChek
Arizona uses VitalChek for online and expedited orders. You complete the request on VitalChek’s site, pay by credit or debit card, and then fax or upload a copy of your photo ID. VitalChek adds a service fee on top of the state’s certificate fee, so it costs more than the other options, but it’s often faster than mail if you can’t get to an office.6Arizona Department of Health Services. Bureau of Vital Records
Fees and Payment
A certified copy costs $20 at the state Bureau and at major county offices including Maricopa and Pima.8Maricopa County, AZ. Order a Birth or Death Certificate7Pima County. Order a Birth or Death Certificate Each additional copy is another $20. Under ARS § 36-341, the state director and local registrars set their own fee schedules, so smaller counties may charge different amounts.9Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 36-341 – Fees Received by State and Local Registrars
County offices accept checks, money orders, Visa, and Mastercard. Never send cash in the mail. The paper form has fields for credit card information, so you can pay by card on a mailed application. If the card belongs to someone other than the applicant, include a copy of the cardholder’s photo ID.3Arizona Department of Health Services. Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth Certificate
Most rejections come from a missing ID copy, an unsigned form, or thin proof of relationship. The Bureau mails everything back with a letter explaining the problem, which can add weeks. Getting the application right the first time matters more than paying for faster delivery.
Make Sure It’s the Right Kind of Copy
Order a certified copy, not an informational or non-certified copy. Certified copies carry the registrar’s signature and the issuing office’s seal or stamp, and that’s what agencies look for.
For a U.S. passport, the State Department requires a birth certificate that was filed with the registrar within one year of birth. The certificate must show the registrar’s signature, the issuing office’s seal or stamp, both parents’ full names, and your full name, date of birth, and place of birth.10U.S. Department of State. Citizenship Evidence A delayed filing (recorded more than a year after birth) must list the records used to create it and include either the birth attendant’s signature or a parent’s affidavit.
REAL ID enforcement for domestic air travel and federal facility access began May 7, 2025, and Arizona residents applying for a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license need a certified birth certificate as proof of identity and legal presence.11Transportation Security Administration. REAL ID
If You Need an Apostille for Use Abroad
If the birth certificate is going to a country that participates in the Hague Apostille Convention, the Arizona Secretary of State attaches an apostille to the certified copy. Standard mail processing is $3 per document and takes 10 to 20 business days. Walk-in expedited service is $25 per document, limited to six per visit.12Arizona Secretary of State. Authentication
Submit the original certified birth certificate (not a photocopy), the Apostille/Certificate of Authentication Request form from the Secretary of State’s website, return postage, and a check or money order payable to “Arizona Secretary of State.” No cash, no electronic apostilles.
Walk-in locations are at the State Capitol Executive Tower in Phoenix, 1700 W. Washington Street, Suite 220, and in Tucson at the Arizona State Complex Building, 400 W. Congress, Second Floor, Suite 221. Both are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., excluding state holidays.
For countries outside the Hague Convention, a plain apostille won’t be enough. You’ll get the apostille from the Secretary of State, then authentication from the U.S. Department of State, then legalization at the destination country’s embassy or consulate, which sets its own fees and procedures.