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

The Virginia Department of Health (VDH), Office of Vital Records, issues Virginia birth certificates. A certified copy costs $15 per certificate under the fee increase that took effect July 1, 2026, and you can order online, by mail, or in person in Richmond, at a DMV location or at a local health department. 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 Virginia birth certificate, what it costs, who may order one, and how to amend or late-register a Virginia birth record. It applies to births that occurred in Virginia.

Where to order a Virginia birth certificate

The state office is the VDH Office of Vital Records. Its customer service lobby is at 8701 Park Central Drive, Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23227, open to walk-in customers Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mail goes to P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000, and the Customer Care Center number is (804) 662-6200.

Start from VDH's applications for a vital record page. VDH names VitalChek as the company it has partnered with for online orders. Be cautious about any other website that offers to get a Virginia birth certificate for you.

How to order

Online

VDH runs its own online application system, which gives you a tracking ID and email or text updates. VDH also partners with VitalChek Network, an independent company, for express delivery; you can reach it through VDH's VitalChek express delivery page or by phone at 877-572-6333.

VDH's VitalChek page says express orders can arrive within 2 to 5 days: once VDH receives the VitalChek information, its staff search, print and send the certified copy. Express delivery goes by UPS, needs a signature and cannot go to a P.O. box. VitalChek charges its own service and delivery fees on top of the certificate, so check the total on the order screen before you pay.

By mail

Mail a completed application, a photocopy of your ID and the fee to VDH Office of Vital Records, P.O. Box 1000, Richmond, VA 23218-1000. Pay by check or money order, completed, signed and made payable to State Health Department.

In person

You can walk in at the Richmond office during lobby hours without an appointment. The front desk also takes drop-off requests, but not for amendments, name changes or corrections, and a request dropped off after 2:00 p.m. counts as received the next business day.

VDH also lists walk-in locations at local DMV offices and local health departments that issue certified copies. VDH notes that changes and amendments can only be completed by the Office of Vital Records.

How much a Virginia birth certificate costs

VDH says the fee rose to $15.00 per certificate effective July 1, 2026, under Chapter 616 of the 2026 Acts of Assembly. Va. Code 32.1-273 sets the fees.

The DMV figures come from Va. Code 32.1-273(C), and the veteran and homeless youth waivers come from Va. Code 32.1-273(A) and (F). The no-cost stillbirth certificate rests on Va. Code 32.1-258.1, according to VDH's frequently asked questions.

How long it takes

VDH publishes more than one estimate, and they do not agree, so treat each as the agency's estimate for that route:

• Online application: 5 business days from the time the application is completed and submitted.
• Complete paper application by mail: 8 business days from the time it is received in the Office of Vital Records.
• VDH home page: "Normal processing time: 2 weeks" for standard processing, and "Next day processing" for express delivery.
• VDH FAQ: up to 4 weeks for birth records needing no amendment, and up to 6 weeks for records that need one (adoptions, paternity establishment, name changes). The FAQ gives no time frame for delayed registrations.
• VitalChek express delivery: within 2 to 5 days, per VDH's VitalChek page.

If you are working against a deadline, call the Customer Care Center at (804) 662-6200 before you choose a route.

Who can get a certified copy

VDH says vital records are available to immediate family members only: the mother, father, current spouse, child, brother, sister and grandparents, with valid identification. A legal guardian may get a birth record with proof of custody, and a legal representative may request one with a power of attorney. VDH's FAQ states plainly that aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws cannot obtain a vital record, and the State Registrar may accept or deny any application.

The governing statute is Va. Code 32.1-271. The Board of Health's regulation, 12VAC5-550-470, lets the registrar issue a certified birth copy to someone with a direct and tangible interest, and explains:

"A direct and tangible interest may be evidenced by requests from the registrant, members of his immediate family, his guardian, or their respective legal representatives in the case of birth records."

Section 32.1-271 also requires the State Registrar to issue a certified copy of a child's birth certificate to a grandparent on written request when the grandparent has shown evidence of need, as prescribed by Board regulation.

ID requirements

Every request needs a photocopy of the requester's ID, per VDH's ID requirements page. Send one primary ID, such as a state-issued photo identification card (unexpired or expired not more than one year), an unexpired U.S. passport, an unexpired U.S. military card of an active duty or retired member, or an unexpired permanent resident card. Without a primary ID, send two secondary documents from VDH's list.

For a newborn or child, the parent's ID is used. If you have no ID, an eligible immediate family member may request the record for you, or a legal representative with power of attorney may.

Certified copies and what they are used for

VDH no longer issues birth cards. It issues certified copies on current certification paper, and certificates have not carried a raised seal since 2001, under Va. Code 32.1-272 and 12VAC5-550-510. VDH says it sent samples of the current certification paper to passport offices and other agencies, and asks that any agency questioning the paper be directed to the Office of Vital Records.

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). For use abroad, VDH says authentications and apostilles are handled by the Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth, not by the Office of Vital Records (VDH FAQ).

Correcting or amending a Virginia birth record

To change a birth certificate, submit the Birth Certificate Amendment Request Form (VS43) or apply online, as described on VDH's amendment page. The State Registrar reviews each request and decides whether it can be done administratively or needs a court order. VDH says it will not know what is necessary until it reviews your request.

The fee is $10 for any change, or $25 including a certified copy of the amended certificate. Mailed amendment requests go to the attention of the Special Services Department.

Under Va. Code 32.1-269, an amended certificate is marked "amended" (a court-ordered name change is an exception), but the statute allows errors to be corrected within one year after the date of the event without that marking, under Board regulation. If the State Registrar denies an amendment, the statute lets you petition a circuit court for an order.

Adding a father

VDH adds paternity to a birth certificate on the written request of both parents with a sworn acknowledgment of paternity, under Va. Code 32.1-269.

Legal name change

A court-ordered name change is amended onto the birth certificate on request, using the amendment process above. The court process itself is covered in our guide to Virginia name change laws.

Sex designation

Va. Code 32.1-261(A)(5) directs the State Registrar to issue a new birth certificate showing a change of sex on request, and a new name if a certified court order changing the name is submitted. The statute requires a form completed by a treating health care provider stating that the person has undergone clinically appropriate treatment for gender transition, and it says the requirements "shall not include any requirement for evidence or documentation of any medical procedure."

VDH's procedure page, which was last updated June 30, 2026 and read on October 8, 2026, asks for a request, valid ID, the Changing Sex Designation (VS42) form with a live-ink signature and date from the medical provider, a court name-change order if applicable, a $10 administrative fee and $15 per certified copy.

If a birth was never registered

Va. Code 32.1-259 allows a birth that was never registered to be registered under Board regulation with documentary evidence. A certificate registered one year or more after the birth is marked "Delayed." If the registrar refuses to register it, the applicant may petition a court for an order under Va. Code 32.1-260.

The VDH pages we reviewed do not list the evidence required or a fee for delayed registration, and the FAQ gives no time frame for delivery, so contact the Office of Vital Records before you start.

Adoption and new birth records

After an adoption, VDH creates a new birth certificate, and the original certificate and adoption order are sealed. Whether and how an adult adoptee can get the sealed original depends on Virginia law, covered in our guide to Virginia adoption records.

Older records and genealogy

Virginia birth records become public 100 years after the birth under Va. Code 32.1-271, and the originals then go to the Library of Virginia, according to VDH's genealogy page. Whether birth certificates are public in other states is covered in are birth certificates public records.

VDH holds births from 1853 to 1896 and from June 1912 to the present. Virginia had no law for registering births and deaths between 1896 and June 14, 1912. The Library of Virginia holds surviving 1853-1896 birth records on microfilm, and a name index of births from 1912 to the present is publicly available. VDH does not do genealogy research for the public.

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

Related

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

Last updated: October 8, 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a birth certificate in Virginia?

VDH charges $15 per certified copy or search, effective July 1, 2026, and the fee is not refunded if no record is found. DMV offices collect the $15 fee plus a $2 processing fee under Va. Code 32.1-273.

Can I get a Virginia birth certificate the same day?

You can walk in at the VDH Office of Vital Records in Richmond (Monday to Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) or at a DMV office or local health department that VDH lists. VDH does not publish a same-day processing time, so confirm with the office before you go.

How long does it take to get a Virginia birth certificate?

VDH estimates 5 business days for online applications and 8 business days for complete mail applications. Its home page lists a normal processing time of 2 weeks, and its FAQ says up to 4 weeks for records needing no amendment.

Who can get a copy of a Virginia birth certificate?

Only immediate family: the person named, mother, father, current spouse, child, brother, sister and grandparents with valid ID, plus a legal guardian with proof of custody or a legal representative with power of attorney. Aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws cannot, under VDH policy and Va. Code 32.1-271.

How do I correct a birth certificate in Virginia?

File the Birth Certificate Amendment Request Form (VS43) or apply online. The fee is $10, or $25 with a certified copy, and the State Registrar decides whether the change can be made administratively or needs a court order.

When do Virginia birth records become public?

Birth records become public 100 years after the birth under Va. Code 32.1-271, and the originals then go to the Library of Virginia.