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

The South Dakota Department of Health's Vital Records Office issues South Dakota birth certificates. A certified copy costs $15, and you can order it in person or by mail at the State Office in Pierre or any county Register of Deeds, or online or by phone through VitalChek, where an online order with regular-mail delivery totals $26.50. 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 copy of a South Dakota birth certificate, what it costs, who may order one, and how to correct, amend or late-register a South Dakota birth record. It applies to births that occurred in South Dakota.

Where to order a South Dakota birth certificate

The state office is the South Dakota Department of Health, Vital Records, 221 West Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501. The phone number is 605-773-4961, and the office is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, Monday through Friday.

You do not have to go to Pierre. The department says you can order in person or by mail at the State Office or at any South Dakota Register of Deeds. Birth records filed after 1905 are issued from a central database the state maintains, and each county has access to it.

Start from the department's order vital records page. It names VitalChek as the only third-party vendor authorized to accept orders for South Dakota vital records, so no other third-party website is authorized to take your order.

How to order

In person

Go to the State Office in Pierre or any Register of Deeds with your application, photo ID and the fee. The department lists cash, check, money order, and credit or debit card (with a $2.50 surcharge) as payments accepted in person, and says accepted options may vary by location.

By mail

Mail your request to the State Office at 221 West Capitol Ave, Pierre, SD 57501, or to any Register of Deeds. The department says you must submit a completed application, signed in front of a notary or sent with a clear copy of a photo ID, along with the fee by check or money order. The department lists a prepaid priority envelope as an option for expedited processing.

Online or by phone

VitalChek takes online orders, and the department also lists phone orders, which carry the same expedite fee as online orders. The credit card must be in the name of the person placing the order.

Copies of records cannot be faxed or e-mailed.

Ordering for a new baby

The department says the birthing facility generally submits the birth record within 7 business days, and it suggests waiting 14 days after the date of birth before applying for a copy.

How much a South Dakota birth certificate costs

The base fee is $15 for a certified or informational copy of a birth record, and the department says the $15 search fee applies to all certificates requested. If no record is located, the fee is non-refundable and you receive a Notification of Records Searched.

Online and phone orders add an expedite fee. The department's order page breaks down a single online order like this:

The department's fee schedule lists an $11.50 expedite fee for phone and internet requests, covering regular-mail shipping, handling and electronic authentication. You pay one expedite fee per order, and each additional record on the same order adds $15.

Other birth record fees the department lists on its fee schedule, amendments page and order page:

The department's fee schedule page also offers fee waiver request forms for military, Head Start, school enrollment and baseball. The department also must provide one certified copy of a South Dakota birth certificate at no cost to a person who applies with proof of homelessness. Its homeless birth certificate waiver page explains the affidavit.

How long it takes

The Department of Health does not publish a processing time for birth certificates. Its order page says only that processing times may vary depending on location, so call the office or your Register of Deeds before you rely on a date.

State law also lets the department or an authorized local registrar withhold immediate issuance of a certified copy for no longer than three days (SDCL 34-25-52).

Who can get a certified copy

Under SDCL 34-25-52, the department or an authorized local registrar issues a certified copy of a vital record to the registrant or the registrant's spouse, children, parents, guardian, next of kin, or authorized representative. The department may authorize others who show the record is needed to determine or protect a personal or property right.

The department's eligibility and identification page spells this out:

• The registrant (the person named on the record)
• A spouse, child, parent or guardian
• Next of kin, meaning grandparents and siblings
• An authorized agent such as an attorney, physician or funeral director
• A designated agent, or someone with a personal or property right

ID requirements

The department requires ID from the person completing the application: a government-issued photo ID (state, tribal or federal), which may be from the United States or another country. If you do not have a photo ID, the department accepts copies of two of the following: Social Security card, utility bill, bank statement, pay stub, or car registration or title with your current address.

Certified, informational and photostatic copies

South Dakota releases vital records only as certified or informational copies, under ARSD 44:09:06:02 as cited by the department. Certified copies are computer generated on security paper with a raised seal and the signature of the issuing agent, and they are used for identification and other legal purposes.

Informational copies are printed on plain paper and carry the statement "For informational purposes only. Not for legal proof of identification." The statute directs the department to issue informational copies to any applicant. Photostatic copies (a photocopy of the original record) come in certified or informational form and are generally used for genealogy.

If your birth record has no first name, the department will issue only an informational copy until the record is amended. The department's pages do not describe long-form and short-form versions or say which version passport agencies accept.

For a first 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, is signed by the official custodian of birth records, bears the issuing office's seal, and shows a filing date within one year of birth (22 CFR 51.42). For 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). State-issued vital records used in a country that belongs to the Hague Apostille Convention need an apostille from that state's secretary of state (USA.gov).

Correcting or amending a South Dakota birth record

Amendments are governed by SDCL 34-25-51 and the department's rules in ARSD chapter 44:09:05. The department's amendments and court orders page says the registrant (if of legal age), a parent, the guardian, or the person responsible for filing the record may request an amendment.

• Record under 1 year old. Use the Under 1 Year form, signed by both parents in front of a notary. No fee or supporting documentation is required.
• Record 1 year old or more. Use the Birth Record Amendment Request form, signed in front of a notary, with the $8 fee and one original, certified or authenticated document. If the record is 1 to 7 years old, the document must be dated at least 1 year before the application; if the record is 7 or more years old, at least 7 years before.

The $8 fee does not include a copy, but certified or informational copies you already bought can be exchanged at no cost. A given name added within the first year can be handled by an affidavit signed by both parents.

Two limits apply. Under ARSD 44:09:05:12, a surname amendment made a year or more after the birth requires an order from a court of competent jurisdiction unless it is a minor spelling change. Under ARSD 44:09:05:08, once an item has been amended by affidavit or court order, it cannot be amended again without a court order.

Adding a father

The department charges $5 to prepare a new birth certificate with paternity, not including a copy.

Legal name change

To put a court-ordered name change on a South Dakota birth record, the department needs a certified court order directing the amendment. The court process itself is covered in our guide to South Dakota name change laws.

Sex designation

The Department of Health pages we reviewed do not describe a process for changing the sex listed on a birth certificate. Contact the Vital Records Office directly before you start.

If a birth was never registered

Under SDCL 34-25-42, a birth not registered within one year may be filed as a certificate marked "delayed" on its face. The department charges $15 to prepare and file a delayed certificate, not including a copy.

Under ARSD 44:09:02:03, a person born in South Dakota whose birth was not recorded, or that person's parent, guardian or legal representative, may request one. The rules call for a hospital record created at the time of birth, or two documents if the record is filed within 7 years of birth, or three documents if it is filed 7 years or more after birth, with each parent's name supported by at least one document. If the documents cannot be provided, a court order can direct the department to establish the delayed certificate (ARSD 44:09:02:07).

Adoption and original birth records

After an adoption, South Dakota establishes a new birth certificate and seals the original along with the adoption information. The department charges $15 to prepare the new certificate. Access to the original certificate is covered in our guide to South Dakota adoption records.

Older records and genealogy

South Dakota birth records are not open for public inspection, and certified copies are limited to the people listed above. Whether birth certificates are public in other states is covered in are birth certificates public records.

For family history, the department's genealogy resources page says birth records with dates of birth more than 100 years old are available online. Genealogy requests should be mailed to the State Office; the department takes no online or phone orders for them.

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

Related

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

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in South Dakota?

The Department of Health charges $15 for a certified copy, and the $15 search fee applies to every certificate requested. A single online order through VitalChek with regular-mail delivery totals $26.50, or $44.00 with UPS next day.

Can I get a South Dakota birth certificate at my county courthouse?

Yes, the department says you can order in person or by mail at any South Dakota Register of Deeds, as well as at the State Office in Pierre. Birth records filed after 1905 are issued from a central state database each county can access.

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

The department does not publish a processing time and says only that times may vary depending on location. By statute it may withhold immediate issuance of a certified copy for no longer than three days (SDCL 34-25-52).

Who can order a South Dakota birth certificate?

Under SDCL 34-25-52, the registrant or the registrant's spouse, children, parents, guardian, next of kin or authorized representative, plus others the department authorizes to protect a personal or property right. Anyone may get an informational copy, which cannot be used for legal identification.

How do I correct a birth certificate in South Dakota?

For a record under 1 year old, both parents sign the Under 1 Year form before a notary, with no fee. For an older record, file the notarized Birth Record Amendment Request with one supporting document and the $8 fee; a late surname change generally needs a court order (ARSD 44:09:05:12).

What if no South Dakota birth record is found?

The $15 fee is non-refundable and the department issues a Notification of Records Searched. A birth never registered can be filed as a delayed certificate under SDCL 34-25-42 for a $15 fee.