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

The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) Vital Records office in Ridgeland issues certified copies of Mississippi birth certificates. A certified copy costs $17, and extra copies of the same record ordered at the same time cost $6 each.

You can order in person at the Ridgeland office, by mail, or online or by phone through VitalChek, the private company MSDH uses for those orders. For other states, see our guide to birth certificates by state.

Information last verified on October 6, 2026. This article has not been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This page covers ordering, fees, eligibility and amendments for birth certificates filed with the Mississippi State Department of Health. It is general information about Mississippi vital records rules, not legal advice.

How to order a Mississippi birth certificate

MSDH describes three ways to order: in person at its Ridgeland office, by mail, and online or by phone through VitalChek. The MSDH pages reviewed for this article describe ordering only through the state Vital Records office. They do not say whether county health departments issue certified copies, so call before you visit one expecting a certificate.

In person in Ridgeland

The MSDH Vital Records office is at 222 Marketridge Drive in Ridgeland, off Highland Colony Parkway. The customer service window is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

MSDH says customers who complete an application and pay the fee receive the birth certificate that day, unless a search is required. In person, the office accepts cash, a bank or post office money order, a cashier's check, or a credit card. Personal checks are not accepted.

By mail

Send the completed application, a photocopy (not the original) of your photo ID, and a money order or cashier's check payable to Mississippi Vital Records. MSDH does not accept personal checks for mail orders.

The MSDH application form gives the mailing address as MS Vital Records, P.O. Box 1700, Jackson, MS 39215-1700. MSDH says standard orders sent by USPS are processed in 7-10 business days.

Online or by phone through VitalChek

MSDH names VitalChek, a private company, as its provider for secure online and phone ordering. VitalChek adds its own fee to the $17 MSDH charge. MSDH does not publish the amount, so check the order total before you pay.

Online and phone orders can choose expedited delivery by UPS, and MSDH says those orders are processed in 3-5 business days. Start from the MSDH birth certificate ordering page so you reach the vendor MSDH designates.

Other websites that offer to order a birth certificate for you are not the issuing office. A state vital records office in another state (Kentucky, in 2019) warned that such sites are likely to charge much higher fees.

How much a Mississippi birth certificate costs

The $17 is a search fee. MSDH says vital record fees are nonrefundable even if no record is found, but fees paid for additional copies are refunded in that case.

The certified copy fee includes the $1 fee that goes to the Mississippi Children's Trust Fund under Miss. Code Ann. § 41-57-11(2), according to the MSDH vital records rules.

How long it takes

These are MSDH's published processing estimates, not guarantees.

If you need a certificate quickly and can travel to Ridgeland, the in-person window is the only route MSDH describes as same day.

Who can get a certified copy

MSDH issues a certified copy only to a person with a "legitimate and tangible interest" as defined in its Rules Governing the Registration and Certification of Vital Events. The MSDH application form cites Miss. Code Ann. § 41-57-2.

Under those rules, eligible applicants include:

• The registrant, if of legal age
• A parent listed on the record, unless MSDH has been notified that parental rights were terminated
• The registrant's spouse, siblings, grandparents, children or grandchildren
• A legal guardian, who must provide the guardianship papers
• A legal representative of an eligible person
• A licensed adoption agency, as provided in Miss. Code Ann. § 93-17-205
• Anyone else who has a court order
• A person who needs the record to determine or protect a personal or property right (Rule 2.1.4), with documents proving that interest; MSDH gives examples such as joint property deeds or an insurance policy naming both people

The rules also cover a non-custodial parent whose parental rights were not revoked. MSDH lists several people who are not eligible: natural parents of an adopted child who do not have legal custody, an alleged parent who is not named on the certificate, a parent whose rights were terminated, and commercial or for-profit entities.

ID you need

MSDH asks for a photocopy of a valid photo ID, not the original. Accepted IDs include a driver's license, state ID card, employment ID, school, college or university ID, U.S. military ID, tribal ID, alien registration or permanent resident card, temporary resident card, or U.S. passport.

If you do not have a photo ID, an immediate family member may order your certificate using their own photo ID as the applicant. Or you can send two of these instead: a Social Security card, a utility bill showing your address, a Medicaid card, a SNAP or EBT card showing your address, a work ID, or a Veteran Universal Access ID card.

MSDH returns applications that arrive without an ID or one of the listed alternatives.

Long form only: what Mississippi issues

MSDH issues only the long-form birth certificate, certified by the MSDH Vital Records office with a raised seal. Short-form or abstract birth certificates are no longer issued. MSDH says the certificate can be used to get a passport or driver's license, for school registration and for travel.

For a U.S. passport, federal rules at 22 C.F.R. § 51.42(a) require a birth certificate showing your full name, place and date of birth, and your parents' full names. It must be signed by the official custodian of birth records, bear the issuing office's seal, and show a filing date within one year of birth.

MSDH holds Mississippi birth records from November 1912 to the present.

Correcting or amending a Mississippi birth certificate

The MSDH Amendments Unit handles corrections and can be reached at 601-206-8200. An amendment by affidavit or court order costs $28, which includes one certified copy of the amended record. Additional copies of the amended record ordered at the same time for the same person are $6 each.

Fixing a minor error by affidavit

Minor errors are corrected with an Affidavit to Amend (Form 1126), which cites Miss. Code Ann. § 41-57-21. The registrant and one reputable person with personal knowledge of the facts both sign it, and both signatures must be notarized. A parent or guardian signs if the registrant is under 18.

You also need one piece of documentary evidence at least five years old showing the correct name or date of birth. Examples MSDH lists include a physician's record, a school record, a passport issued five or more years ago, an old driver's license, a DD214, an immunization record, or your child's birth certificate.

Under Rule 3.16.3, an affidavit with proof can fix missing information or an incorrectly recorded first name, middle name, sex, or date of birth off by one day, plus some parent items. Within three calendar months of the birth, an affidavit without proof can change the placement of given names, add or drop a given name (but not both), or fix a given-name spelling that does not change its pronunciation.

Adding a father

When the mother was unmarried from conception to birth and no father is listed, the father can be added through an Acknowledgement of Paternity, and the child takes the father's surname, according to the MSDH rules summary.

Under MSDH Rule 3.3.4, either parent who signed may rescind the acknowledgement within one year of the signature or by the date of a court proceeding relating to the child (such as a child support case) in which that parent is a party, whichever comes first.

Legal name change

A court-ordered name change is added to the birth certificate as a marginal notation under Rule 3.21.1. The court process itself is covered in our guide to Mississippi name change laws.

Sex designation

Under MSDH Rule 3.21.2 (rules revised October 10, 2025), a change of sex is added to the birth certificate as a marginal notation once MSDH receives a certified Mississippi chancery court order and the required fee. This is separate from Rule 3.16.3, which lets an affidavit correct a sex that was recorded incorrectly at birth registration. Contact the Amendments Unit for the current requirements.

Registering a birth that was never recorded

Any living person born in Mississippi whose birth was not registered may file a delayed registration, either by affidavit with proof or by court order. A delayed birth certificate form must be used if the birth was not registered within one year.

First you need proof that no record is on file, which requires a search and its fee. The affidavit is signed and sworn by two qualified individuals, in an order of priority set by the MSDH rules. For a person six or older, the rules require at least two documents, each dated five or more years before the application, supporting the facts of birth (Rule 3.8.11); the State Registrar may waive part of the five years depending on age.

If the documents are not enough, the next step is a petition to the chancery court under Miss. Code Ann. § 41-57-19. Creating a delayed record costs $28, including one certified copy. MSDH may close an application that is not completed within one year.

Adoption and new birth certificates

When a person with a Mississippi birth record is adopted, in Mississippi or any other state, the State Registrar prepares a new birth certificate from the certified adoption decree under Miss. Code Ann. § 93-17-21. Creating the adoption record costs $55, which includes one certified copy of the new birth record.

Who can later see the original record depends on Mississippi adoption law; see Mississippi adoption records.

Older records and genealogy

Mississippi birth certificates are not open records, and access is restricted to qualified applicants for 100 years from the date of birth. For how this compares nationally, see are birth certificates public records.

For a genealogy request, state genealogy as the purpose and give your relationship to the person named. MSDH issues plain paper, non-certified copies for genealogy. Under Rule 2.1.4(5), genealogical researchers with family ties have a tangible interest in birth records filed more than 100 calendar years before the request.

Using a Mississippi birth certificate abroad

A foreign government may ask for an apostille, which certifies a state-issued document. For Mississippi vital records, that comes from the Mississippi Secretary of State, and MSDH lists the cost as $5.00 per document.

This article provides general legal information about Mississippi birth certificates, not legal advice. Fees and procedures change, so confirm with the Mississippi State Department of Health, Vital Records, before you order. Information verified October 6, 2026. For advice about your situation, consult a lawyer licensed in Mississippi.

Related

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

Last updated: October 6, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Mississippi?

MSDH charges $17 for a certified birth certificate and $6 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. VitalChek adds its own fee for online and phone orders.

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

MSDH says customers who apply and pay at the Ridgeland Vital Records office receive the certificate that day, unless a search is required. The window is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

How long does a Mississippi birth certificate take by mail?

MSDH lists 7-10 business days for standard USPS orders. Online and phone orders through VitalChek with UPS expedited delivery are processed in 3-5 business days.

Who can request a Mississippi birth certificate?

Only someone with a legitimate and tangible interest under MSDH rules, such as the registrant of legal age, a parent named on the record, a spouse, sibling, grandparent, child or grandchild, a legal guardian or representative, or a person with a court order.

What if I do not have a photo ID?

An immediate family member can order using their own photo ID, or you can send two listed documents such as a Social Security card and a utility bill showing your address. MSDH returns applications with no ID or alternative.

Can I pay for a Mississippi birth certificate with a personal check?

No. MSDH does not accept personal checks for birth certificate orders. Mail orders take a money order or cashier's check payable to Mississippi Vital Records.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Mississippi?

Minor errors are fixed with a notarized Affidavit to Amend (Form 1126) plus documentary evidence at least five years old. The $28 fee includes one certified copy of the amended record.

Does Mississippi still issue short-form birth certificates?

No. MSDH says short form or abstract birth certificates are no longer issued; it issues the long-form certified certificate with a raised seal.