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

The Louisiana Department of Health's Center for Vital Records and Statistics, through its Vital Records Registry in New Orleans, issues certified copies of Louisiana birth certificates. A certified copy from the state office costs $15.00.

You can order in person in New Orleans, by mail, online or by phone or fax through VitalChek, or at a participating parish Clerk of Court for a higher fee. 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, paternity and delayed registration for Louisiana birth certificates, based on the Louisiana Department of Health's vital records pages and Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes.

How to order a Louisiana birth certificate

The department's How to Order Birth Records page says every request must include proper identification, the correct fees and a completed application. Here are the routes.

In person. The Vital Records Central Office is at 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, LA 70112. Walk-in hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., excluding state holidays. Bring photo identification and the correct fee; walk-in service accepts cash (exact amount only), check and money order.

By mail. Send the completed application, a copy of your photo identification and the correct fees to Vital Records Registry, PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Make checks and money orders payable to Louisiana Vital Records.

Online, phone or fax through VitalChek. The department does not accept credit cards or online orders directly. It names VitalChek Network, Inc. as the independent company it has partnered with for internet, fax and telephone orders by credit card, at 1-877-605-8562. VitalChek charges an additional fee, and expedited service costs more; the department does not list those amounts.

Will Call pickup. If you order through VitalChek and choose the Will Call delivery option, you pick up the certificate at the New Orleans walk-in office. You get an email when the order is processed and ready.

Clerks of Court. Participating Louisiana Clerks of Court issue certified long-form and short-form birth records at locations around the state, for an additional fee (see the fee table).

For questions, the department's customer service hotline is 504-593-5100. Order through the department, a participating Clerk of Court or the vendor the department names, and be cautious with other websites offering to get a certificate for you.

How much does a Louisiana birth certificate cost?

These figures come from the department's Service Fees page, which says vital records fees are set by statute, can change in any legislative session, and are not subject to waiver.

If you order a certificate and no record is on file, Louisiana law lets the department keep the fee to cover the search, citing R.S. 40:40(12). A full search covers the year you give and two years before and after it.

How long does it take?

For mail orders, the department asks you to allow approximately 8-10 weeks for delivery. It does not publish a processing time for walk-in, Clerk of Court or VitalChek orders, so call 504-593-5100 before relying on a date.

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

Louisiana is a closed-record state: birth certificates are not public records. Under La. R.S. 40:41(C)(1), the state registrar may not issue a certificate unless satisfied that the applicant is, among others, "(a) The person named in the certificate" or "(b) A member of the immediate or surviving family of the person named in the certificate."

The department's ordering page lists who may order a birth certificate:

• The person named on the document
• The current spouse of the person named
• The mother, father, adult child, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather or grandchild of the person named
• An attorney, with a written declaration of representation of one of those people (on letterhead, with the attorney's bar roll number and a copy of current identification)

Another adult requesting a child's record must present a judgment of custody. The department says notarized custody papers and provisional custody mandates are not acceptable. Anyone else needs the registrant to submit an Authorization Release of Records, plus a copy of the ID of the person authorized to receive the copy.

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

Long form and short form

The department sells a long-form birth certificate and a short-form birth card; at the state office the card comes paired with a certificate for $24.00. Its pages do not say which agencies accept the short-form card.

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). 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 Louisiana birth certificate

The department's Amendments to Birth Records page says every application is reviewed by a specialist, and an application that is not acceptable comes back with instructions, which adds processing time. Requests take approximately 8 to 12 weeks from receipt.

What it costs

The amendments page says that, unless you request a hospital correction within 90 days of the certificate's file date, the non-refundable fee to correct or amend a birth certificate is $27.50, including one certified copy of the amended certificate. Extra certified copies bought at the same time cost $9 each. If you cannot provide the original (incorrect) certificate, add a $15 search fee.

Louisiana law (R.S. 40:40(10)) sets an $18.00 nonrefundable fee for filing a correction, and the Service Fees page repeats that figure. The department's amendments page and fee schedule charge $27.50 for an amendment, which includes one certified copy of the new record. Confirm the amount for your correction with the Amendments Department before you send payment.

The fee page adds that if you abandon a case or cannot meet the amendment requirements, the fee is kept, and inactive cases are closed after six months with documents returned.

How to apply

Send a completed Application to Amend that specifies the corrections, a legible copy of your valid government-issued photo ID, the incorrect birth certificate and the fee. For a child's certificate, both parents listed on it must send copies of their IDs. Mail it to Vital Records Registry, Attn: Amendments Department, P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. Make checks or money orders payable to Vital Records Registry and do not mail cash.

Errors on a newborn's or young child's certificate

Minor errors in the child's or parents' names, the sex of the child, the day of birth and the time of birth can usually be corrected. For a newborn, Vital Records asks the hospital to verify the correct information from its medical records; if the request arrives within 90 days of the file date, there is no charge.

For a child up to age 12, a statement from the birth facility's medical records department usually works. If the facility no longer has the records, parents can submit evidentiary documents such as a baptismal certificate, school record, Social Security Numident printout, or a certified copy of the parent's birth certificate.

To change or add a child's first or middle name before age 12, both parents listed on the certificate sign an Affidavit for Correction of Given Names before a notary. That affidavit cannot change a last name.

Errors for someone over 12

For a person over 12, the department requires a certified evidentiary document that has existed for at least five years and shows the correct birth information. Accepted documents include a baptismal record, school enrollment record, marriage license application, voter registration application, Social Security Numident, or a parent's birth or marriage certificate when correcting a parent's name.

To correct the sex of the child as a minor error, the department accepts statements from two different U.S.-licensed medical providers. Its page states that this route is "not applicable for gender reassignment." The department's pages that we reviewed do not describe a process for changing a sex marker for gender transition; contact Vital Records at 504-593-5100 with questions.

Changing a last name

A child's last name can be changed by an Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit when parents are adding a father who is not already listed. Otherwise a Louisiana court-ordered name change judgment is needed. Send a certified copy of the judgment, the petition and the district attorney's answer (if applicable) so Vital Records can decide whether the order can be used.

Adults over 18 follow the same pattern: a properly executed Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit plus a District Attorney Affidavit stating no objection to the name change, or a court-ordered name change judgment. Our guide to Louisiana name change laws covers the court process.

Adding or removing a father

If the mother was unmarried and no father is listed, the mother and the acknowledging father can complete a Two-Party Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit and submit it to Vital Records. If either parent cannot or will not sign, a court judgment of paternity can add the father; the child's last name changes to the father's only if the father is the petitioner.

A person who signs a voluntary acknowledgment can revoke it within 60 days by filing a Revocation of Acknowledgment of Paternity with Vital Records. After 60 days, a parent must petition a Louisiana court to rescind it under R.S. 9:392(A)(7) or R.S. 9:406, based on fraud, duress or a material mistake of fact.

If the mother was married at conception and birth, or was not divorced at least 300 days before the birth, her husband is the presumed father and must be listed. The department says the mother, the presumed father and the biological father can sign a three-party Acknowledgment of Paternity, with a DNA-based paternity test, to replace the presumed father. This can be done at the hospital or any time up to the child's 10th birthday, citing Louisiana Civil Code article 198.

Delayed registration: a birth never recorded

Louisiana accepts delayed birth certificates. Under La. R.S. 40:60(A)(1), certificates accepted for filing more than six months after the time prescribed for filing must show the date of the delayed filing and be marked "delayed." The fee schedule lists a delayed certificate filing at $27.50, including one certified copy.

The department's pages that we reviewed do not list the evidence it requires for a delayed registration. Call 504-593-5100 before you gather documents.

There is also a court route. Under La. R.S. 40:67, any person born in Louisiana "who is over twelve years of age and who has no birth record on file with the vital records registry may establish a birth record through the district courts" of the parishes, if the person cannot otherwise meet the requirements for a delayed birth registration.

For a passport, remember that a certificate filed more than a year after birth does not meet the federal standard for primary evidence on its own (22 CFR 51.42).

Adoption

After an adoption is finalized, Louisiana Vital Records completes and issues a new birth certificate, and the original is sealed. The department's adoption information page lists a non-refundable $27.50 fee for the new certificate, including one certified copy. For a child born and adopted in Louisiana, the Department of Children and Family Services prepares the new certificate and forwards it to Vital Records.

Who can later see the original depends on state law; our guide to Louisiana adoption records covers those rules.

Older records and genealogy

The Louisiana State Archives, part of the Secretary of State's office, has a Louisiana Birth Records Index Database and sells copies of birth certificates for births that occurred more than 100 years from the end of the current calendar year. Certified copies cost $10 each and photocopies $5 each, delivered by mail.

The Archives says its only birth records from before 1911 are from Orleans Parish, and that birth records were not required statewide by law until 1918.

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

Related

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

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Louisiana?

A certified birth certificate from the state Vital Records Registry costs $15.00 per copy, or $24.00 for a certificate plus a short-form birth card. Mail and VitalChek orders add a $0.50 state charge, and VitalChek adds its own security fee.

Can I get a Louisiana birth certificate the same day?

The department does not publish a same-day promise. You can apply in person at the Vital Records Central Office, 1450 Poydras Street, Suite 400, New Orleans, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., or at a participating Clerk of Court; call 504-593-5100 before relying on a pickup date.

How long does a Louisiana birth certificate take by mail?

The department asks you to allow approximately 8-10 weeks for delivery of a mail order. That is its estimate, not a guarantee.

Who can order a Louisiana birth certificate?

The person named, a current spouse, a parent, adult child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild, or an attorney with a written declaration of representation. Anyone else needs an Authorization Release of Records signed by the registrant under La. R.S. 40:41.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Louisiana?

Send the Application to Amend, a copy of your government-issued photo ID, the incorrect certificate and the fee to the Amendments Department at P.O. Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160. The amendments page lists a $27.50 fee that includes one certified copy, and processing takes about 8 to 12 weeks.

How do I add a father to a birth certificate in Louisiana?

If no father is listed, the mother and father can sign a Two-Party Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit and file it with Vital Records. Otherwise a court judgment of paternity is needed.

Can I order a Louisiana birth certificate at the parish Clerk of Court?

Yes, at participating Clerks of Court. They charge $34.00 for a long-form certificate and $48.00 for a short-form card and long-form certificate sold as a pair.

What if my Louisiana birth was never recorded?

Louisiana accepts delayed certificates, and the delayed filing fee is $27.50 including one certified copy. A person over 12 with no record who cannot meet the delayed registration requirements may establish a birth record through a district court under La. R.S. 40:67.