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

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) Office of Vital Statistics issues certified copies of Kansas birth certificates. Each certified copy costs $20.

You can order at the office's walk-in lobby in Topeka, online or by phone through VitalChek, through the State of Kansas IKAN mobile app, or by mail. 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 Kansas birth certificates held by the KDHE Office of Vital Statistics, based on KDHE's vital records pages and the Kansas Statutes Annotated (K.S.A.).

How to order a Kansas birth certificate

KDHE's birth certificate page lists five ordering methods. The office has filed birth certificates since July 1, 1911; for a birth between the late 1860s and that date, the same routes trigger a search of the delayed certificates on file.

In person. The walk-in Customer Service Lobby at the Curtis State Office Building, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, is open from 9 am to 4 pm on weekdays, excluding holidays. You pay by cash, check, money order or credit card.

Online. KDHE says the only way to make an internet request is through the website of VitalChek, the company it contracts with for credit card service. The card must be in your name, the cardholder's name and address are verified, and you will be asked for your Social Security number or driver's license number. UPS delivery is available for an extra charge, but UPS cannot deliver to P.O. Box, APO or FPO addresses.

By phone. Call VitalChek at 877-305-8315, available 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Payment is by credit card.

IKAN mobile app. Search your device's app store for IKan, State of Kansas. Each order covers one certified copy, paid by credit card or ACH. You can choose regular mail or Will Call pickup at the Topeka office; KDHE says only the applicant can pick up a Will Call certificate, with a current government-issued photo ID, and asks you not to come in until you receive the email saying it is ready.

By mail. Send a completed, signed application (the Birth Application, form VS-235) or a signed letter with the record details, a photocopy of your ID, a check or money order made payable to "Kansas Vital Statistics" (no cash), and a business-size self-addressed stamped envelope. Mail it to:

Office of Vital Statistics, Curtis State Office Building, 1000 SW Jackson, Suite 120, Topeka, KS 66612-2221.

Only KDHE and the vendor it names, VitalChek, issue or take orders for certified Kansas birth certificates. A website that offers to order one for you is not the state office, so check where you are before you pay.

How much does a Kansas birth certificate cost?

These are KDHE's published fees.

State law treats the initial $20 as a five-year record search fee. One certified copy is issued if the record is found; if it is not, KDHE keeps the fee and sends you a letter explaining the search it conducted. If you do not know the exact birth date, give a consecutive five-year span, and know that each extra span costs another $20.

Free copies in two situations

Under K.S.A. 65-2418(a), KDHE may not charge for a certified copy or search requested by someone who shows correspondence from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs or the Kansas office of veterans services indicating they are applying for VA benefits and need the record. That waiver covers the first copy; a second or later copy is charged the usual fee.

The same section bars any fee for a certified birth certificate requested by a person 17 or older for voting purposes, if the applicant lacks the identification Kansas election law requires or needs it to meet voter registration requirements.

How long does it take?

KDHE publishes these estimates on its birth certificate page:

These are KDHE's estimates, not guarantees. Mailing time adds to the mail and app routes.

Who can get a certified copy of a Kansas birth certificate?

Kansas birth records in KDHE's custody are closed. Under K.S.A. 65-2422d(c), the state registrar "shall not permit inspection of the records or issue a certified copy or abstract of a certificate or part thereof unless the state registrar is satisfied the applicant therefor has a direct interest in the matter recorded and the information contained in the record is necessary for the determination of personal or property rights."

KDHE's birth application translates that into a list of eligible requestors: the person named on the record, parents, current spouse, adult children, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews. The application adds, under that list, that requestors must be age 18 or older. A legal guardian appointed through the courts must send a copy of the guardianship papers. Anyone else must be able to show legal proof that the record is necessary to determine personal or property rights.

For how Kansas compares with other states, see are birth certificates public records.

ID requirements

KDHE requires a current government-issued photo ID, which can be issued by the U.S. or another country of residence. Examples on its mail ordering page include a driver's license, state ID card, passport or visa, or military ID; by mail you send a photocopy.

Without a government photo ID, you must provide any two of these: your Social Security number, a bank statement with your current address, a car registration or title with your current address, a utility bill with your current address, or a pay stub that includes your name, Social Security number and the business name and address. The application notes that matricula consular cards are not an acceptable form of ID.

Using a Kansas 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 amending a Kansas birth certificate

Every amendment or correction costs $20. KDHE handles them through its Amendment Unit (785-296-1434) using an Amendment Request Form, and it says it may decline a request or require additional court records to stay in compliance with state statutes and regulations. Under K.S.A. 65-2422c, a certificate given a minor correction under KDHE's regulations is marked "amended."

Adults

KDHE's adult amendment page sets document requirements by type of error. Each request also needs a notarized statement of what you want amended.

• Misspelled name (not a name change): one original or certified document dated before your tenth birthday showing the correct spelling.
• Wrong date of birth: two original or certified documents dated before your tenth birthday showing the correct date.
• Missing first or middle name, or first and middle names switched: one certified document dated at least five years ago.
• Missing last name or entire name: two certified or original documents dated at least five years ago.
• Adding a father: a certified court order of paternity, with the mother and father made parties to the court action, plus details about the father. If the mother was married to someone else during the pregnancy, or another man is listed as the father, that man must also be a party.

KDHE suggests documents such as early school records, hospital or medical records, immunization records and census records.

Name changes

A legal name change goes through the courts first; our guide to Kansas name change laws covers that process. Once you have the order, send KDHE a certified copy with a cover letter giving your name at birth, your date of birth and what you want done. KDHE notes you should change the birth certificate only if the court order is meant to change your birth name. People who marry do not need to change their birth certificates; the marriage certificate or license shows the name change.

Minors

KDHE's minor amendment page offers a no-court route for some changes. If a child under 18 has no father or second parent listed, and the mother or listed parent was not married to anyone between conception and birth, both parents can complete the VS211 Paternity Consent Form before a Kansas district court judge. KDHE says no attorney is required and there are no court fees; the clerk mails the completed form to the office.

If the mother was married between conception and birth, or another parent is already listed, KDHE requires a court order of paternity. To fix a child's date or time of birth, KDHE needs a notarized affidavit from both parents (or a court-ordered guardian) plus one certified document within 90 days of birth, or two certified documents dated before the child's tenth birthday after that.

Sex designation on Kansas birth certificates

Kansas changed this rule in 2026. The Legislature overrode the governor's veto of House Substitute for Senate Bill 244 on February 18, 2026, and the act was published in the Kansas Register on February 26, 2026. Section 2(a) of the act provides that "Any birth certificate issued prior to July 1, 2026, that identifies the sex of the individual named on such certificate in a manner that is contrary to the definition of such term as defined in K.S.A. 2025 Supp. 77-207, and amendments thereto, shall be invalid." Section 2(b) directs the state registrar to correct such records.

KDHE's amendment page says that, "in accordance with the new law," it "can no longer process gender identity amendments to Kansas birth certificates," while amendments for other reasons, like input error or medical cause, are still permissible. It says it is taking the action needed to invalidate affected certificates in the Office of Vital Statistics database.

KDHE also says it cannot notify affected people directly or mail them a revised certificate, because its birth records do not hold current contact information. A person who wants a certificate matching the database may order one at the usual $20 per copy. For questions about a specific record, contact the Amendment Unit at 785-296-1434.

The act is the subject of a lawsuit in Douglas County District Court. The Lawrence Journal-World reported on October 6, 2026, that the judge would decide in the coming weeks whether to grant the plaintiffs' request for an injunction temporarily halting enforcement of the act while its constitutionality is decided. A ruling could change how this section applies, so confirm the current status with KDHE before relying on it.

Delayed registration: a birth never recorded

If you were born in Kansas but your birth was never filed with the Office of Vital Statistics, you can file a delayed certificate of birth. Contact the office to have a delayed birth packet mailed to you; it includes the certificate form, which you sign before a notary (a parent signs if the registrant is under 18).

KDHE's instructions set the evidence by age:

• Under 10: two certified or original documents. One must show the mother was in Kansas at the time of birth; the other must show the registrant's name, date of birth, Kansas birthplace and at least one parent's name.
• Over 10: four certified or original documents. Each must show the date of birth or age and have been established at least 10 years before the request or within three years of birth. At least one must show a Kansas birthplace, and one must name at least one parent.

The filing fee is $30, plus $20 for a certified copy of the delayed certificate, and KDHE estimates up to 6 months for processing. Keep the passport rule above in mind: a certificate filed more than a year after birth does not meet the federal standard for primary evidence by itself.

Adoption

KDHE's adoptions page handles reports of adoption for Kansas-born children, foreign-born adoptions and requests for a before-adoption birth certificate, which require a written notarized request. Filing a report of adoption or a foreign-born certificate costs $20. KDHE's application warns that after an adoption, the biological family may not have a legal right to the adoptee's record. Who can see an original birth record is a matter of state law, covered in our guide to Kansas adoption records.

Older records and genealogy

KDHE's files start July 1, 1911. For earlier births, KDHE points researchers to the Kansas Historical Society. Some delayed certificates on file at KDHE carry dates of birth back to the 1860s.

Under K.S.A. 65-2422d(h), birth, death and marriage records created before July 1, 1911, under the 1885 session law and not in KDHE's custody "shall be open to inspection by any person." Records in KDHE's custody remain subject to the direct-interest rule above.

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

Related

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

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Kansas?

KDHE charges $20 per certified copy, including each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Ordering through VitalChek adds a $15 expedited service fee, and the IKAN app adds a $5 processing fee.

Can I get a Kansas birth certificate the same day?

Walk-in requests at the Office of Vital Statistics in Topeka take around 15 to 20 minutes when the record is easy to locate, according to KDHE. The lobby is open 9 am to 4 pm on weekdays, excluding holidays.

How long does a Kansas birth certificate take by mail?

KDHE estimates 7 to 10 business days for mail requests, depending on current request volume. Internet and phone orders through VitalChek are estimated at 3 to 5 business days after they reach the office.

Who can order a Kansas birth certificate?

Under K.S.A. 65-2422d(c), the state registrar issues a certified copy only to someone with a direct interest whose information is needed to determine personal or property rights. KDHE's application lists the person named, parents, current spouse, adult children, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and court-appointed guardians, and adds under that list that requestors must be age 18 or older.

What happens if KDHE cannot find my birth record?

The first $20 is a five-year record search fee. If the record is not found, KDHE keeps the fee and sends a letter explaining the search that was done.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Kansas?

Send KDHE's Amendment Request Form with a notarized request and the documents its amendment pages list for your type of error. The amendment or correction fee is $20.

Can I change the sex on a Kansas birth certificate?

KDHE says that under House Substitute for Senate Bill 244 it can no longer process gender identity amendments. Amendments for other reasons, such as input error or medical cause, are still permissible. The act is the subject of a pending lawsuit in Douglas County District Court, so confirm the current status with KDHE.

How do I add a father to a Kansas birth certificate?

For a child under 18 with no father or second parent listed, whose mother was not married between conception and birth, both parents can complete the VS211 Paternity Consent Form before a Kansas district court judge, with no attorney required and no court fees. Otherwise KDHE needs a court order of paternity.