Idaho Birth Certificate: How to Order, Fees and Processing Times

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics issues certified copies of Idaho birth certificates. Each certified copy costs $16.

You can order online through VitalChek, the department's official online partner (which adds its own fees), or by mail to the bureau in Boise. For other states, see our guide to birth certificates by state.

Information last verified on October 8, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This page covers ordering, fees, eligibility, corrections and delayed registration for Idaho birth certificates held by the Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, based on the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare's vital records pages and Idaho Code section 39-270.

How to order an Idaho birth certificate

The department's ordering page describes two ways to order a certified copy: online through VitalChek and by mail. The bureau does not have a public counter, so all requests for certified copies must be submitted online or by mail.

Online. The department names VitalChek Network Inc. as its official online partner, an independent company it works with to take credit card and online orders. All major credit cards are accepted, and VitalChek may ask you to fax identification to complete the request. VitalChek charges its own fees on top of the state fee (see the fee table below).

The department's processing page says online orders typically arrive faster than mail orders, because there is no physical payment to process and no mail time to the office.

By mail. The department calls mail the most economical route. Send these three items:

• A completed Certificate Request Form-Birth (available in English and Spanish on the ordering page), or a signed letter with all the necessary information
• A photocopy of your current driver's license that shows your complete signature and expiration date, or other acceptable identification
• A signed check or money order for the fee, made out to Idaho Vital Records

Mail them to Idaho Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, PO Box 83720, Boise, ID 83720-0036.

For questions about an order, the department lists ivr@dhw.idaho.gov and 208-334-5980. It deposits checks and money orders the day after they arrive, and asks you to check whether your payment has been cashed before you contact the office about a late certificate.

Watch out for third-party sites

The ordering page carries a consumer alert: several third-party companies charge customers to help them get Idaho vital records, often adding what the department calls excessive and unnecessary fees. It tells customers to order directly from the bureau by mail or through VitalChek.

Free copy for people experiencing homelessness

Under the ITD Waiver program, people experiencing homelessness who are applying for identification through the Idaho Transportation Department may be eligible for one free certified copy of their Idaho birth certificate, according to the ordering page.

How much does an Idaho birth certificate cost?

These are the department's published fees from its processing times and fees page.

The department lists the same $16 price for every copy and does not state a lower rate for additional copies. All vital records fees can be paid with one check or money order. Overpayments of less than $10 are not refunded unless you request a refund in writing.

How long does it take?

The department publishes these estimates:

These time frames start once a properly completed order reaches the office and do not include mailing time. They are estimates, not guarantees.

Two rules can cost you time. First, the department cannot add rush service to an existing order; if you need a certificate faster, choose rush before you submit, or place a separate rush order online. It cannot cancel unprocessed orders.

Second, orders with unsigned payments, unsigned applications, or ID copies that do not clearly show the signature and expiration date will not be processed. The department sends a letter asking for the missing items, which it says doubles the processing time.

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

Idaho birth records are confidential for their first 100 years. Under Idaho Code 39-270(b), "A complete copy, or any part of a certificate, may be issued to any applicant who can show direct and tangible interest in the record for which he applies."

The department's ordering page summarizes who meets that standard: the person named on the certificate, their immediate family, their legal representatives, or people who can show they need the record to claim a property right. If your relationship to the person on the record cannot be verified, you may be asked for more documentation.

The same subsection also requires copies to be issued to public agencies for child protection and child support enforcement, or to investigate fraud.

For how Idaho's rule compares with other states, see are birth certificates public records.

Using an Idaho birth certificate for a passport or REAL ID

For a first U.S. passport, federal rules generally require a birth certificate that shows your full name, place and date of birth and your parents' full names, is signed by the official custodian of birth records, carries the issuing office's seal, and shows a filing date within one year of birth (22 CFR 51.42). If a certificate does not meet that standard, for example because it was filed more than a year after birth, the applicant must submit secondary evidence.

The federal REAL ID 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 changing an Idaho birth certificate

The department's change a birth certificate page handles every kind of change through one form, the Correction Request Form-Birth (in English and Spanish, with instructions included). Send the completed form with any fees to the same Boise PO box.

The page has separate instructions for:

• Correcting an error or omission
• Adding a natural (biological) father, or filing a court determination of paternity or a rescission of paternity
• Reflecting a legal name change
• Filing an adoption, or an adoption rescission or annulment
• Submitting a termination of parental rights

It also links an Acknowledgment of Paternity form, an Affidavit of One and the Same Person form, and a Correction Affidavit.

The standard processing fee for changes is $0, plus applicable legal and certificate fees. Express processing costs $25 per event. The department's ordering page warns that requests needing amendments or legal action may take several weeks after payment is accepted, depending on workload.

Name changes

A legal name change goes through the courts first. Our guide to Idaho name change laws covers that process. The department's change page has instructions for reflecting a court-ordered name change on the birth certificate.

Delayed registration: a birth never recorded

The department's delayed certificate page says a birth certificate registered one year or more after the date of birth must be registered as a delayed certificate.

To start, send a written request with identifying information for the person signing it, which must include:

• The type of certificate
• The name or names as they should appear on the certificate
• The mother's full maiden name and the father's full name
• The date and place of the event
• Your relationship to the person named on the certificate
• A return address and daytime telephone number
• A check or money order for $16

The department first checks whether a certificate is already on file. The $16 search fee applies whether or not a certificate is found.

The page does not list the evidence the department will require to establish the birth, so expect it to follow up. Keep in mind the passport point above: a certificate filed more than a year after birth does not meet the federal standard for primary evidence on its own.

Births outside a hospital or birth facility, including homebirths, have their own filing page on the department's site.

Adoption

Idaho's change page lists filing an adoption as one of the changes it processes. Who can see an adoptee's original birth record afterward depends on state law; our guide to Idaho adoption records covers those access rules.

Older records and genealogy

Idaho's restriction ends after a century. Under Idaho Code 39-270(e), once 100 years have passed after the date of birth, birth records in the state registrar's custody become public records and information is made available under chapter 1, title 74 of the Idaho Code.

This article is general legal information about Idaho birth certificates, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change, so confirm current requirements with the Idaho Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics before you order. Information last verified on October 8, 2026.

Related

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

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Idaho?

The Idaho Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics charges $16 per certified copy. Ordering online through VitalChek adds a $10.50 non-refundable fee, plus $10 per event for rush service and $21 for UPS shipping to most areas if you choose them.

How long does it take to get a birth certificate in Idaho?

The department estimates 3-5 weeks for standard orders and 2-3 weeks for orders that pay for express service, counted from when a complete order reaches its office and not including mail time.

Can I add rush service to an Idaho birth certificate order I already placed?

No. The department says it cannot add rush service to an existing order. You can place a separate rush order online, but it cannot cancel an unprocessed order.

Can I get an Idaho birth certificate in person?

No. The Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics does not have a public counter, so requests for certified copies must be submitted online or by mail.

Who can order an Idaho birth certificate?

Someone with a direct and tangible interest under Idaho Code 39-270: the department lists the person named, their immediate family, their legal representatives, or someone who needs the record to claim a property right.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Idaho?

Send the Correction Request Form-Birth with any fees to the bureau at PO Box 83720, Boise. The standard processing fee is $0 plus applicable legal and certificate fees, with a $25 rush option, and standard changes take an estimated 3-4 weeks.

How do I get a birth certificate if my birth was never registered in Idaho?

A birth registered one year or more afterward is filed as a delayed certificate. Send a written request with the required details and a $16 check or money order; the department first searches for an existing certificate, and the fee applies either way.

Are Idaho birth records public?

Not at first. Under Idaho Code 39-270(e), birth records become public records once 100 years have passed after the date of birth.