Alabama Birth Certificate: How to Order, Fees and Who Can Get One

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) Center for Health Statistics issues certified copies of Alabama birth certificates. The search fee is $15, which includes one certified copy, and each extra copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $6.

You can get a copy at any county health department, by mail from the Center in Montgomery, or online or by phone through VitalChek, the provider ADPH names. For other states, see our guide to birth certificates by state.

Information last verified on October 7, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This page covers how to order, what it costs, who is eligible, and how to amend or register an Alabama birth certificate, based on ADPH's published pages and forms. It covers births that occurred in Alabama only.

How to order an Alabama birth certificate

ADPH lists three routes: in person at a county health department, by mail to the Center for Health Statistics, and online or by phone through VitalChek. Start from the ADPH birth certificates page, which links each option.

In person at any county health department

ADPH says you may go to any county health department in Alabama, not only the one in the county of birth, to get a certified copy of an Alabama birth certificate. Most birth certificates can be issued while you wait.

If you need a certificate quickly for a passport appointment, a REAL ID visit or a new job, this is the route ADPH describes as usually while you wait. Bring your ID (see below) and the fee.

By mail

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

Center for Health Statistics P.O. Box 5625 Montgomery, Alabama 36103-5625

Pay by check or money order made payable to "Center for Health Statistics." ADPH asks that you not send cash, and its fees are not refundable. ADPH estimates mail orders take about 7-10 days.

Online or by phone through VitalChek

ADPH names VitalChek as its service provider for online orders, paid with a major credit or debit card; the phone number ADPH lists for VitalChek orders is 1-888-279-9888. ADPH notes that VitalChek charges additional fees for using the service and for upgrading to UPS shipping. ADPH does not publish the amount of those fees.

Order through ADPH, a county health department, or the VitalChek service ADPH links. Other websites that offer to "get" a birth certificate for you are not the issuing office.

Alabama birth certificate fees

These are the fees ADPH publishes on its birth certificate page and its amendment and application forms.

The $15 is a search fee. If the Center finds no record, the fee covers a Certificate of Failure to Find instead of a certified copy, and ADPH's fees are not refundable.

ADPH charges an additional $15 to expedite a request. It does not publish a turnaround time for expedited orders, so ask the office what the fee buys before you rely on a date.

Who can get a certified copy

Alabama birth certificates are confidential. ADPH says that by Alabama law they are restricted for 125 years from the date of birth. (For how Alabama compares with other states, see are birth certificates public records.)

During that period, ADPH lists these people as able to obtain a certified copy on payment of the fee:

• The person named on the certificate
• The mother, father or legal guardian
• The spouse
• A son or daughter
• A sister or brother
• A legal representative of one of the people above

ADPH's application form cites Ala. Code § 22-9A-21 and frames eligibility as being an immediate family member or showing a legal right to the record. If your relationship is not on the list, ask the Center what proof of a legal right it accepts before you apply.

ADPH's form also warns that anyone who falsely applies for a record faces, on conviction, up to three months in the county jail or a fine of up to $500.

ID requirements

ADPH requires one form of identification from its Primary ID list, such as a current photo ID. A primary ID that has expired may be used only if it expired no more than 60 days ago.

If you cannot provide a primary ID, ADPH accepts two different documents from its Secondary ID list. Examples on that list include an expired government ID, a utility bill less than 6 months old, and a vehicle registration or title. See the full lists on the ADPH ID requirements page.

If someone else picks up the certificate for you as your designee, both you and the designee must show ID. ADPH keeps a copy of the ID.

Short form, long form and what agencies accept

The ADPH pages reviewed for this article do not describe separate short-form and long-form birth certificates or say which version agencies accept. If you need the certificate for a specific purpose, ask the Center or the county health department which version you are getting.

For a first U.S. passport, federal rules require a birth certificate that shows your full name, place and date of birth, and the full name of your parent or parents. It must be signed by the official custodian of birth records, carry the issuing office's seal, and show a filing date within one year of birth (22 CFR 51.42). A certificate that does not meet that test, such as one filed more than a year after birth, has to be backed by secondary evidence.

For REAL ID, the federal rule lists a certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the vital statistics office of your state of birth as an acceptable identity document (6 CFR 37.11).

Correcting or amending an Alabama birth certificate

ADPH says information entered in error when a birth certificate was originally prepared may be corrected through an amendment process set by law. Legal documentation or court action may be required. The fee is $20, which includes one certified copy of the amended certificate. If you are 19 or older, you must sign the application to change your own birth certificate. The forms are in ADPH's amendment package.

Amendments must be processed through the Center for Health Statistics in Montgomery. County health departments do not process them.

Adding a father

ADPH's amendment package describes several ways a father can be added to an Alabama birth certificate (ADPH calls this legitimation):

• Through the probate court
• By the parents' marriage, processed by the Center for Health Statistics
• By an acknowledgment of paternity, through the County Department of Human Resources or the Center, if the mother was not married at the time of conception through birth
• By a paternity determination in circuit court (juvenile division) under the Uniform Parentage Act

ADPH says that in some cases a court determination can also remove a father from the certificate. The fee to prepare the new birth certificate following legitimation is $25, including one certified copy.

Name changes and sex designation

Under Ala. Code § 22-9A-19(c)(3), the State Registrar amends an Alabama birth certificate to show a new name on receipt of a certified copy of the court order changing it. Contact the Center for Health Statistics for the current application and fee. For the court process itself, see Alabama name change laws.

Ala. Code § 22-9A-19(d), as read on October 8, 2026, provides that on receipt of a certified copy of a court order indicating that a person's sex has been changed by surgical procedure and that the person's name has been changed, the birth certificate is amended as prescribed by rules to reflect the changes. Contact the Center for Health Statistics for its current requirements.

Delayed registration for a birth never recorded

If your birth was never registered, a delayed certificate must be filed through the Center for Health Statistics, not a county health department. ADPH charges $20 to file a delayed certificate, which includes one certified copy.

The ADPH pages reviewed for this article do not explain what makes a certificate "delayed," what evidence the Center requires, or whether a court petition is ever needed. Call the Center before you gather documents.

Keep in mind that a delayed certificate may not satisfy the federal passport rule on its own, because that rule expects a filing date within one year of birth (22 CFR 51.42).

Adoption and foreign births

After an adoption, a new birth certificate is issued, and adoptions must be processed through the Center for Health Statistics. ADPH says people born in Alabama who were adopted can obtain informational copies of their original birth certificate from a sealed file once they reach age 19. For the full access rules, see Alabama adoption records.

For a child born abroad who became a U.S. citizen through adoption and holds a Certificate of Citizenship, the Center may prepare and register a Certificate of Foreign Birth at the request of an adoptive parent or an adopted individual 19 or older.

Older records, genealogy and keepsakes

The Center for Health Statistics began filing birth certificates for people born in Alabama in 1908. Under Ala. Code § 22-9A-21(f), a birth record becomes a nonrestricted public record 125 years after the birth; before then, someone outside the eligible list must show the copy is needed to determine or protect a personal or property right.

ADPH also sells keepsake birth certificates in three designs for $45. ADPH describes them as intended only for framing and display, so order a certified copy for any official purpose.

For use abroad, ADPH sells apostille copies (or, for countries that are not party to the Hague Convention, exemplified copies) carrying an additional certification signed by the Alabama Secretary of State. Order them from the Center for Health Statistics by mail, phone or in person, not online or at a county health department, for $25 each.

This article is general legal information about Alabama birth certificates, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change; confirm with the Alabama Department of Public Health, Center for Health Statistics, before you order. Information last verified on October 7, 2026.

Related

• Birth certificates by state
• Are birth certificates public records?
• Alabama adoption records
• Alabama name change laws

Last updated: October 7, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Alabama?

ADPH charges $15 to search for a birth certificate, which includes one certified copy. Each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $6, and VitalChek adds its own fees for online orders.

Can I get my birth certificate the same day in Alabama?

Often, yes. ADPH says you can go to any county health department in Alabama and that most birth certificates can be issued while you wait.

How long does an Alabama birth certificate take by mail?

ADPH says records ordered by mail arrive in about 7-10 days. That is the department's estimate, not a guarantee.

Who can get a certified copy of an Alabama birth certificate?

The person named on the record, the mother, father or legal guardian, a spouse, a son or daughter, a sister or brother, or a legal representative of one of those people. Birth records stay restricted for 125 years from the date of birth.

What ID do I need for an Alabama birth certificate?

One current photo ID from ADPH's primary list (expired no more than 60 days), or two different documents from its secondary list, such as a utility bill less than 6 months old or a vehicle registration.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Alabama?

Errors made when the certificate was first prepared are fixed through ADPH's amendment process, which can require legal documents or a court order. The fee is $20, including one certified copy of the amended certificate.

What happens if no Alabama birth record is found?

The $15 search fee still applies, and ADPH issues a Certificate of Failure to Find instead of a certified copy. ADPH fees are not refundable.