How to Order a Texas Birth Certificate: Eligibility, Costs & Methods

To order a Texas birth certificate, you go through the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Vital Statistics Section, which holds every birth record for the state.¹ You have three ways to place the order: online through Texas.gov, by mail to the Austin office, or in person at a county clerk’s office. The base state fee is $22 per certified copy.² Online orders are the fastest of the two mailed options at about 20 to 25 business days; a county clerk can often print your copy while you wait.³

Who Is Allowed to Order

Texas restricts birth certificates to “qualified applicants.” That means the person named on the record, their immediate family, a legal guardian, or a legal representative such as an attorney acting for the family.⁴

Immediate family is defined more broadly here than in some other contexts. It covers the person on the certificate along with their children, spouse, parents, siblings, and grandparents.⁴ An adult sibling can order yours; a grandparent can order a grandchild’s.

Anyone outside that circle has to show a “direct and tangible interest” in the record, usually with a court order or documentation of a legal or property right that turns on the information.⁴ Government agencies and law enforcement can also qualify.

What to Have Ready Before You Apply

Missing or mismatched details are the top reason applications stall. Pull this information together first:

Full name at birth of the person on the certificate
Date of birth
Sex as listed on the record
City or county of birth
Father’s full name as listed
Mother’s full name, including maiden name

For online orders, DSHS verifies identity electronically using your state-issued driver’s license or ID number plus your Social Security number.⁵ For mail and in-person orders, you send or bring physical copies of ID, sorted into three groups.

The ID Groups for Mail and In-Person Orders

You meet the identification requirement by providing one of the following combinations:⁶

Group A, one document: a current state driver’s license, government-issued photo ID, U.S. passport, or military ID card.
Group B, two documents, if you lack Group A: a signed Social Security card, current student ID, expired Group A document, Medicaid or Medicare card, DD-214 discharge papers, or a foreign passport with a valid U.S. visa.
Group C, two Group C documents plus one Group B, if you lack Group A and can’t produce two Group B items: a recent utility or cell phone bill, paycheck stub, signed voter registration card, bank statement, or vehicle registration, among others.

One thing that catches applicants out: a voter registration card is Group C, not Group B. It only counts as a supporting document alongside a Group B item.⁶

The Three Ways to Order

Online Through Texas.gov

The state’s official portal lets you enter the birth record details, verify your identity electronically, and pay with a credit or debit card.⁷ Online orders carry a service fee on top of the $22 state fee. You need both a state-issued driver’s license or ID number and a Social Security number; without both, the system will send you to mail or in-person options.⁵

By Mail

Download the application from the DSHS website, fill it out completely, and enclose copies of your ID along with a check or money order. For standard processing, mail to:

DSHS – Vital Statistics Section
P.O. Box 12040
Austin, TX 78711-2040

For expedited processing, use overnight courier (FedEx, UPS, or Lone Star) to the physical address:

DSHS – Vital Statistics Section, MC 2096
1100 W. 49th Street
Austin, TX 78756

Send it trackable. You’re mailing copies of personal identification documents, and you want confirmation of delivery.

In Person at a County Clerk’s Office

This is the option most people miss, and it’s usually the best one if you need a certificate soon. County clerks across Texas have remote access to state birth records going back to 1926, and many offices will print a certified copy while you wait. Bring valid government-issued photo ID. Fees at the county level may run a dollar or two above the state fee; some counties charge $23 rather than $22. Call ahead to confirm hours, payment methods, and exact cost.

What It Costs

The base state fee is $22 per certified copy.² On top of that, expect:

Expedited processing: $25 per application, added to the base fee.²
Online service fee through Texas.gov: amount varies; review the fee summary before you pay.
Third-party vendors: VitalChek, partnered with some county offices, charges its own processing fee (around $14) on top of the government fee.
County clerk offices: fees may sit slightly above the state rate.

Texas waives the fee for homeless youth who provide documentation of homeless status as outlined on the DSHS Costs and Fees page.⁸ County and child welfare agencies can also request certified copies at no charge.

How Long It Takes

DSHS publishes current processing windows online, and they move with demand. As of the most recent update:³

Online orders through Texas.gov: 20 to 25 business days
Mail-in orders: 25 to 30 business days

The clock starts when DSHS receives your completed application and payment, not when you drop it in the mail. Paying for expedited processing shortens the wait but does not mean next-day turnaround. If you truly need a certificate within days, a county clerk’s office is the reliable route. DSHS ships finished certificates by U.S. Postal Service, so add a few days of mail transit to whichever processing window applies.

Ordering From Outside Texas

Living out of state doesn’t block you, but it narrows your options. If you’re ordering your own certificate, or one for a child you’re listed as a parent for, you can use Texas.gov from anywhere.⁵ Your current state’s driver’s license or ID number works for identity verification; it doesn’t have to be a Texas one. You still need a Social Security number.

If you don’t qualify for online ordering (say, you’re requesting a sibling’s certificate), mail-in is the fallback. Send the application, ID copies, and payment to the DSHS P.O. Box in Austin, and budget for the longer processing window plus round-trip mail time.

If the Certificate Has an Error, or You Need It for Another Country

Two situations sit outside the ordering process and confuse people who assume they can handle everything in one request.

Corrections to a birth certificate (misspelled name, wrong date, parent information) go through a separate application, Form VS-170, notarized and submitted with supporting evidence such as hospital records, a court order, or a Social Security Administration printout. Correction fees start at $15 for general changes and $25 for adding, removing, or replacing a parent, and you’ll still pay $22 for each certified copy of the corrected record.

An apostille for international use does not come from DSHS. The Texas Secretary of State issues apostilles on the certified copy you already hold, for $15 per document, using Form 2102.⁹ If you’re on a deadline for an international move or adoption, plan the sequence: order the birth certificate from DSHS, then send it to the Secretary of State. Back-to-back mail-in requests can stretch to two months.

1
Texas DSHS. Vital Statistics
2
Cornell Law School. Texas Administrative Code Title 25 Part 1 Chapter 181 – Fees Charged for Vital Records Services
3
Texas DSHS. Processing Times
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Cornell Law School. Texas Administrative Code Title 25 Part 1 Chapter 181 – Definitions
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Texas Department of State Health Services. Requirements for Online Orders
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Texas Department of State Health Services. Acceptable Identification (ID)
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Texas.gov. Order Vital Records
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Texas Department of State Health Services. Costs and Fees
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Texas Secretary of State. Request a Universal Apostille