Nebraska Birth Certificate Application PDF: Form HHS-88 and Submission

The Nebraska birth certificate application PDF is Form HHS-88, available as a free download from the Department of Health and Human Services. Each certified copy costs $17.00, and you can submit the completed form by mail, order online through the state portal, or bring it to the Vital Records office in Lincoln. Mail orders take roughly 10 to 15 business days, with expedited processing available if you need the record sooner.1Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Vital Records Service Options

Who Can Order a Certified Copy

Nebraska Revised Statute 71-612 limits certified copies to people with a “proper purpose.”2Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 71-612 In practice that covers the person named on the record, parents, legal guardians, and authorized legal representatives. The form asks you to state both the reason for the request and your relationship to the person named, and staff verify eligibility before releasing the certificate.

What to Gather Before You Open the PDF

Getting any of the biographical details wrong can cause a failed search, and the search fee is non-refundable even when no record turns up.3Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Vital Records Before you start filling in the form, have these ready:

  • Full name at birth, exactly as it appeared on the original record. If the person was adopted, use the adoptive name.
  • Date of birth: month, day, and year.li>
  • Place of birth, including both the city or town and the county.
  • Full names of both parents as they appeared at the time of the birth, including the mother’s or birthing parent’s maiden name.

The form also asks whether the record involves an adoption or a delayed birth registration. If you’re not sure the birth was registered on time, note that on the form so the office can widen its search.4Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Application for Certified Copy of Birth Certificate

Filling Out Form HHS-88

Download the form directly from the DHHS site and complete every field legibly.4Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Application for Certified Copy of Birth Certificate Beyond the birth details, the application asks for:

  • A brief statement of purpose, such as a passport application or school enrollment.
  • Your relationship to the person named, if the record is not your own.
  • Number of certified copies you want, at $17.00 each.
  • Your mailing address, daytime phone number, and email address.

Sign and date at the bottom. Phone and email are not strictly required, but leaving them blank removes the office’s ability to reach you about a small problem, and a request that could have been fixed with a call can end up returned instead.

Identification You Have to Include

A copy of a current government-issued photo ID goes in with every application. Nebraska accepts any one of the following as primary identification:5Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Vital Records Required Identification

  • Current state-issued driver’s license showing issue and expiration dates
  • Current state-issued ID card
  • Current U.S. passport
  • Military ID
  • Tribal ID
  • Alien registration or permanent resident card

If you don’t have a primary ID, you can send two secondary documents instead. Acceptable secondary documents include a current work or school ID, a voter registration card, a military discharge record, a utility bill or bank statement dated within the last six months, or a current-year tax return. A Social Security card by itself is not accepted.

How to Submit and Pay

By Mail

Send the signed application, a copy of your ID, and payment to:

Nebraska Vital Records
P.O. Box 95065
Lincoln, NE 68509-5065

Payment must be a check or money order made payable to “Vital Records.” Credit cards are not accepted for mailed applications, and the office will not process requests sent by fax or email. Standard mail turnaround is about 10 to 15 business days from receipt.1Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Vital Records Service Options

Expedited Mail

You can request expedited processing on a mailed application, and the office handles those within one to two business days of receipt. Include a prepaid return envelope, such as a prepaid overnight mailer, so the certificate ships back quickly; without one, the office returns it by regular mail and most of the time savings disappear. The fee remains $17.00 per copy.

Online

Nebraska runs an online ordering portal at nevitalrecords-dhhs.ne.gov that accepts Visa and MasterCard.3Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Vital Records VitalChek, an authorized third-party service, also processes Nebraska orders on an expedited basis.6VitalChek. Nebraska Vital Statistics (NE) | Order Certificates Both add processing fees on top of the $17.00 state fee.

In Person

You can bring the application to the Vital Records office in Lincoln during business hours; in-person requests are usually processed faster than mailed ones. Call (402) 471-2871 for current walk-in hours before making the trip.3Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Vital Records

If No Record Is Found

The $17.00 fee pays for the search, not just the certificate, so it is not refunded if the office cannot locate a matching record. You will get written notice if no record is found or if the request does not meet the proper-purpose requirement. Checking name spellings and dates carefully before mailing is worth the extra few minutes, and ordering the number of copies you actually need on the first request avoids paying a second search fee later.3Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Vital Records

Free Copies for Voter ID

The fee is waived if you need the birth certificate specifically to apply for a Nebraska state ID card for voting. To qualify, you must not already hold a current Nebraska driver’s license or state ID, and you must indicate on the application that the record is for voting purposes.2Nebraska Legislature. Nebraska Code 71-612 These requests can be made by mail or in person.

Corrections Use a Different Form

Form HHS-88 is only for ordering copies. Fixing a misspelled name, wrong date, or missing parent information requires a separate amendment application, also on the DHHS site, and the amendment must be signed before a notary public by a parent, the person named on the record if of legal age, or the person who originally filed the certificate.7Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Application for Amendment of Certificate of Birth Adding a father or second parent uses a different process again; call Vital Records at (402) 471-2871 for the correct form before submitting anything. A court-ordered name change requires a certified copy of the court order with the amendment application.