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

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office of Vital Records issues Minnesota birth certificates, and the first certified copy costs $26. MDH takes orders only by mail or fax; for in-person service, any county vital records office can issue certified birth certificates, often while you wait. 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 how to order a certified Minnesota birth certificate, what it costs, who may get one, and how to change a Minnesota birth record. It applies to births that occurred in Minnesota; for births in another state, contact that state's vital records office.

How to order a Minnesota birth certificate

Minnesota has two routes: a county vital records office in person or by mail, or MDH by mail or fax. MDH does not offer in-person service, and it does not list an online ordering option or an online vendor.

At a county vital records office (usually fastest)

MDH says the fastest service is in person at a county vital records office. Most of the time, you can receive your order while you wait, and you show identification and sign the forms in front of county staff instead of finding a notary.

County offices issue certified birth certificates for births from 1900 to the present. For a birth before 1900, contact the county where the birth occurred. MDH does not publish county fees on the pages we reviewed, so call the county office to confirm its price before you go.

By mail or fax from MDH

To order from MDH, complete the Birth Certificate Request and sign it in front of a notary public. Mail it to Minnesota Department of Health, PO Box 64499, St. Paul, MN 55164-0499, with a check or money order payable to the Minnesota Department of Health, or with credit card details. Fax orders go to 866-416-1357 and are accepted with credit card payment only.

MDH deposits fees the day it receives them, before it reviews the request. The fees are nonrefundable even if MDH cannot find the record or fill the order.

How long MDH takes

MDH does not publish a fixed turnaround. Instead, it posts the date of the oldest orders it has finished. On October 6, 2026, MDH had completed and mailed birth certificate orders received by October 2, 2026, and birth record amendments received by August 26, 2026. These dates change daily, so check the MDH vital records page before you rely on a date.

How much a Minnesota birth certificate costs

These are MDH's published fees. The additional-copy price comes from the MDH request form (dated November 2024), because the MDH fee web page lists only the first-copy price.

MDH also issues a free birth certificate for VA or veterans-organization purposes. It carries printed statements across the top that limit how it can be used, so it is not a substitute for a regular certified copy.

Who can get a certified Minnesota birth certificate

Minnesota sorts birth records into two groups. MDH says the birth records of children born to married parents are public, while the records of children born to unmarried parents are confidential unless the birth parent chose to make the record public at the time of birth.

For a public record, Minn. Stat. 144.225 and MDH allow a certified copy to go to:

• the subject of the record, a parent named on the record, a child, or the current spouse
• a grandparent, great-grandparent, grandchild or great-grandchild
• a legal custodian, guardian or conservator (with a court order), or a health care agent under a health care power of attorney
• a personal representative or successor handling an estate
• a person who needs the record for a personal or property right (with documentation)
• an adoption agency, a government agency, an attorney, a person with a court order, or an authorized representative with a signed statement

For a confidential record, the list is shorter: a parent named on the record, a legal custodian, guardian or conservator with a court order, the subject if 16 or older (or a homeless youth), representatives of certain Minnesota programs (state or tribal child support, Medical Assistance (MA), MinnesotaCare and some child-welfare services), or a person with a valid U.S. court order. A subpoena is not enough.

ID and notary rules

For mail and fax orders, MDH says most requests must be signed in front of a notary public. At a county office, you show ID and sign in front of county staff. If you do not have acceptable ID, a witness can complete MDH's Statement to Identify form to swear to your identity.

Attorneys provide their Minnesota license number (attorneys licensed elsewhere attach a copy of their license), and government requesters provide an employee ID.

Certified copies, informational records and the long form

A certified birth certificate is printed on security paper and is the legal document. A noncertified record is printed on plain paper for informational purposes only. If a public record is involved, anyone may buy the noncertified version for $13.

The State of Minnesota no longer issues long form birth certificates. MDH recommends ordering a birth certificate together with a noncertified birth record (for births before 2001, an image of the paper record) and MDH's long-form policy memo.

For a U.S. passport, federal rules call for a birth certificate that shows your full name, place and date of birth, and your parents' full names, signed by the official custodian, bearing the issuing office's seal, and showing a filing date within one year of birth (22 CFR 51.42). MDH's pages do not say which Minnesota document the passport office accepts, so check with the passport agency if your case is unusual.

For a REAL ID, federal rules accept a certified copy of a birth certificate filed with the vital statistics office in your state of birth (6 CFR 37.11). If you need an apostille to use the certificate abroad, MDH does not provide that service; request it from the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Correcting or changing a Minnesota birth record

How you change a record depends on timing. Corrections are free before the child's first birthday and before a birth certificate has been issued; contact the birth facility or your county vital records office. Once the child turns one or a certificate is purchased, whichever comes first, MDH says any change must be made through an amendment.

Amendments

An amendment costs $40 and requires a notarized application plus supporting documents. Only MDH handles amendments; county offices do not. The amendment application also lets you order a new certificate for $26. Amended certificates carry a sentence noting what changed and when.

Only certain people may request an amendment: the subject of the record if 18 or older, a parent named on the current record, or a legal guardian or legal representative whose status is shown by a certified court order. If the subject has died, only the parents can request an amendment.

Adding a parent

To add a legal parent after the birth is registered, parents can file a Minnesota Voluntary Recognition of Parentage. MDH charges nothing for filing that form, and it replaces the original birth record. A court adjudication of parentage also leads to a replacement record, which costs $40.

Legal name change

To change a full name on a Minnesota birth record, submit a certified court order or other acceptable documentation with the amendment application. Adults 18 and older must request a court-ordered name change amendment themselves; for a minor, a parent submits it. The court process itself is covered in our guide to Minnesota name change laws.

Sex designation

MDH's change-a-birth-record page (last updated February 19, 2026) says a person may amend the sex indicator. The request must include either a letter from a physician certifying that the person is receiving treatment for gender transition, or a court order directing the change. An amendment without a court order does not replace the record; later certificates note that data items were amended. Contact MDH for the current supporting-document list.

Delayed registration if a birth was never recorded

MDH treats a birth registered more than a year after it happened as a delayed registration, governed by Minn. Stat. 144.217. It is handled only by MDH, costs $40, and requires the evidence MDH's rules call for, so contact the Office of Vital Records for the document list before you apply.

If MDH rejects a delayed registration, the statute allows a petition to the district court in the county of birth. No delayed record of birth can be registered for a person who has died.

Adoption and original birth records

After a Minnesota-born child is adopted, the court sends the paperwork to MDH, a $40 fee is paid, and MDH replaces the original birth record with a new one. The original record is sealed. Since July 2024, adopted people born in Minnesota who are 18 or older can request a noncertified copy of their original birth record from MDH. For the full access rules, see our guide to Minnesota adoption records.

Older records and genealogy

MDH holds births since 1900; for earlier births, contact the county where the birth occurred. Under Minn. Stat. 144.225, confidential birth data becomes public once 100 years have passed since the birth. The Minnesota Historical Society's People Records Search includes birth records from 1900 to 1934.

Whether Minnesota birth records count as public records in general is covered in are birth certificates public records.

This article is general legal information about Minnesota birth certificates, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change; confirm with the Minnesota Department of Health Office of Vital Records or your county vital records office before ordering. Information last verified on October 8, 2026.

Related

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

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Minnesota?

MDH charges $26 for a certified birth certificate. Its request form lists $19 for each additional copy on the same order, and an informational noncertified record costs $13.

Can I get my Minnesota birth certificate the same day?

Usually, yes, at a county vital records office. MDH says most of the time you can receive your order while you wait; MDH itself has no in-person service.

Can I order a Minnesota birth certificate online?

MDH takes orders only by mail or fax. You can also order in person or by mail from a county vital records office.

Do I need a notary to order a Minnesota birth certificate?

For most mail and fax orders, yes: you sign the application in front of a notary public. At a county office you show ID and sign in front of staff instead.

Who can get a confidential Minnesota birth record?

Under Minn. Stat. 144.225, only a parent named on the record, a legal custodian, guardian or conservator with a court order, the subject if 16 or older, certain public program representatives, or a person with a valid court order.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Minnesota?

Before the child turns one and before a certificate is bought, corrections are free through the birth facility or county. After that, you file a notarized amendment with MDH for $40 plus supporting documents.

Does Minnesota issue a long form birth certificate?

No. MDH says it no longer issues long form certificates and suggests ordering a birth certificate plus a noncertified record and its long-form policy memo.