BUREAU OF VITAL STATISTICS
(BIRTH AND DEATH CERTIFICATES)
BUREAU
OF VITAL STATISTICS
(Birth and Death Certificates)
8000 North Stadium Drive
Houston, TX 77054
Phone Number:
3-1-1 for local calls and
(713) 837-0311 for calls outside
the Houston city limits
Lisa Akheituame, Registrar
Cheryl Williams, Deputy Registrar
The Bureau of Vital Statistics customer service hours (main lobby and funeral home services) are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Extended hours on Thursday for main lobby from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and funeral home services 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Certificates at a location near you
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Vital Statistics office information for the 8000 North Stadium Drive location
| Monday through Friday: | 8:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. |
Extended Hours: Thursdays Only |
|
| Lobby hours: | 8:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m |
| Funeral home services | 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. |
Same day walk-in lobby service for:
*Birth Certificates (generally available 14 business days after birth occurs)
*Death Certificates (generally available 21 business days after death occurs)
*Birth Facts (Abstract certificates from State records for all births outside Houston in Texas)
Due to legal concerns telephone, fax-in and verification requests are not accepted.
Passports
The Bureau of Vital Statistics is now processing passports. Hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday: 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. and Thursday 9am – 11am and 1pm – 4pm
Fees:
Acceptance Fee: $25 (paid separately by credit/debit/money order/cash only. Money orders payable to City of Houston)
Passport Fee: Varies depending on what type of passport and age of applicant. Please include this link as a reference www.travel.state.gov for current passport information. This fee must be paid by check or money order payable to U.S. Department of State.
Passport Photo: $10
The City of Houston does not control the policies, fees and requirements for passport applications, so please contact the U.S. Department of State’s website at www.travel.state.gov if they have any questions regarding fees and passport requirements. We accept walk-ins - no appointment needed.
Acknowledgement
of Paternity (AOP) Update
Fees are paid directly to the State Vital Statistics Office at Austin, Texas.
Further information can be obtained directly from the State office at www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/reqproc/amendparentage.shtm.
Notice to Attorneys
Required Documentation
- Valid bar card
- Valid personal identification w/picture
- Letter on company stationery stating the purpose of the request
- Documentation linking you or your agency, i.e. a, b, c listed below
- Completed vital statistics application for certified document
Third Party Applicants
Required Documentation
-
Documentation linking you or your agency to tangible reason for requesting
certified document (partial listing):
a. Legal documents such as contracts, court rulings
b. Bank statements, deeds, titles showing joint ownership
c. Letter from party with a copy of their valid picture identification requesting
that you receive the certified document for them
d. Business letter on company stationery with a copy of documentation linking individual to your agency, i.e. a, b, c above - Valid personal identification with picture
- Letter on company stationery stating the purpose of the request
- Completed vital statistics application for certified document
- Full size certified birth registration documents (birth certificates) are issued to walk-in customers on the day requested.
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Birth wallets (wallet size certificates) and birth facts (certificates for persons born in Texas but not Houston) may be purchased by the customer and mailed from the main office the next business day.
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Birth certificates, birth wallets and birth facts are $23.00 each and can be paid for by using money orders at the new sites.
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Questions may be directed to the Vital Statistics at 3-1-1 for local calls and (713) 837-0311 for calls outside the Houston city limits.
- Births in Houston, Texas
- Births Outside of Houston, Texas (born in Texas)
- Births Outside of Texas
- Deaths in Harris County
- Deaths Outside of Harris County, (but died in Texas)
- Deaths Outside of Texas
- Apostille (authenticated birth and death records)
- Paternity
and/or Amendment to a Birth Certificate
- Restrictions
How to Apply for a Certified Copy:
- Applying by Regular mail
- Select and print a copy of the application from below
- Application For Certified Copy of Birth Certificate/Death Certificate - Word version
- Application For Certified Copy of Birth Certificate/Death Certificate - PDF version
- Aplicación la certificado de nacimiento y certificado de defunción - Word
- Aplicación la certificado de nacimiento y certificado de defunción - PDF
- Complete the application
- Make a copy of the qualified applicant's identification
- Include payment, money order or credit card (complete Credit Card Information Form)
- Money orders should be made payable to "City of Houston"
- Mail the three documents (completed application, copy of the qualified applicant's identification and payment) to:
Bureau of Vital Statistics,
8000 North Stadium Drive, 1st Floor,
Houston, TX 77054
(No checks are accepted)
- Apply by overnight mail
Apply
for Certified Copies by Overnight Mail (Additional Fees Apply)
- Select and print a copy of the application from below
- Application For Certified Copy of Birth Certificate/Death Certificate (Word Format)
- Application For Certified Copy of Birth Certificate/Death Certificate (PDF Format)
- Aplicación la certificado de nacimiento y certificado de defunción (Word)
- Aplicación la certificado de nacimiento y certificado de defunción (PDF)
- Complete the application
- Make a copy of the qualified applicant's identification
- Include payment, money order or credit card (Credit Card Information Form)
- Money orders should be made payable to "City of Houston"
- Mail the three documents (completed application, copy of the qualified applicant's identification and payment) to:
Bureau of Vital Statistics,
8000 North Stadium Drive, 1st Floor,
Houston, TX 77054
(No checks are accepted)
Birth records are confidential for 75 years and death records for 25 years; therefore, issuance is restricted to qualified applicants. Please attach a photocopy of ID to application. Failure to provide the purpose in obtaining the record and relationship to the applicant in the request, when the applicant is not the person named on the record, will result in the application being rejected or delayed in processing.
Due to guidelines from the
State of Texas and to deter identity theft,
only certain documents are accepted as valid
forms of identification for the purpose of
obtaining vital statistics records.
Acknowledgement
of Paternity (AOP) Update
Fees are paid directly to the State Vital Statistics Office at Austin, Texas.
Further information can be obtained directly from the State office at www.dshs.state.tx.us/vs/reqproc/amendparentage.shtm.
Paternity
and/or Amendment of a Birth and/or Death
Certificate
Bureau of Vital Statistics,
P.O Box 12040
Austin, TX 787711-2040
Application to amend certificate of birth (Adobe PDF)
Application to amend certificate of death (Adobe PDF)
Birth
or Death Certificate for a State Other than Texas
A qualified applicant is defined as
the registrant, or immediate family member
either by blood or marriage, his or her guardian,
or his or her legal representative. Local,
state and federal law enforcement or governmental
agencies and other persons may be designated
as properly qualified applicants by demonstrating
a direct and tangible interest in the record
when information in the record is necessary
to implement a statutory provision or to protect
a personal legal property right. A properly
qualified applicant may also be any person
who has submitted an application for a request
to release personal information and has been
approved as outlined in the Health and Safety
Code, Section 181.11, relating to Requests
for Personal Data.
Birth/Death Certificate Outside of Harris County but in
Texas:
The City of Houston issues Birth Fact or Birth Abstract certificates for
births in Texas, but outside the City of
Houston city limits. These documents are issued
via remote access directly from Austin, Texas.
The Birth Fact or Birth Abstract certificates
are legal documents and can be used for the
same legal purposes as certificates generated
from Houston files for institutional or hospital
births. Death certificates for deaths occurring
outside the Houston district are available
in the district of which the death occurred
or from the State of Texas Vital Statistics
Office at P.O. Box 12040, Austin, Texas 78711-29040
Apostille: Authenticating Birth or Death Certificates
Fees:
(Note:these fees shall be assessed to search for any record regardless of whether a certified copy is issued or not.)
Important Notice
| Fees are subject to change without notice. | ||
| Each SEARCH and/or CERTIFIED COPY of a Certificate of Birth | $23.00 | |
| Each SEARCH and/or CERTIFIED COPY of a Certificate of Birth (wallet size) | $23.00 | |
| Each SEARCH and/or CERTIFIED COPY of a Certificate of Birth for births outside of Harris County | $23.00 | |
| Each Additional CERTIFIED COPY OF the same birth record ordered at the same time | $23.00 | |
| Each SEARCH and/or CERTIFIED COPY of a Certificate of Death | $21.00 | |
| Each Additional CERTIFIED COPY OF the same death record ordered at the same time | $4.00 | |
| Special Handling/Expedited Processing | $15.00 In addition to certificate cost | |
| Same Day/Overnight Courier | $30.00 Overnight courier fee. In addition to certificate cost and special handling/expedited processing fee. | |
Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable if a record is not found. Make cash or money orders payable to the City of Houston. Personal checks are not accepted. If your name does not appear on the credit cards (Debit Card, Discover, Visa, MasterCard), we cannot accept payment. "NO EXCEPTIONS" |
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Fees in Addition to Certificate Fee for Special Handling and Overnight Processing
- Special Handling/Expedited Processing In addition to certificate fee, $15.00 Special Handling fee (applications are processed day of receipt and mailed to requester in US Post Office Priority Mail envelope)
- Same Day/Overnight Courier: In addition to certificate fee and $15 special handling fee a $30 Overnight Courier fee is assessed. (applications are processed day of receipt and mailed out via overnight courier)
- If you provide a prepaid
self addressed overnight courier envelope,
the certificate cost and the $15.00
special handling fee will apply, the $30
courier fee will be waived.
Death records older than 25 years and birth
records older than 75 years are, with some
exceptions, available to genealogists. Each
document search must be paid for and sufficient
information must be provided on the application
for the document search. Some of the 19th century
death records are available for public browsing
at the Clayton
Library, 5300 Caroline, Houston,
Texas. The
Texas State Library has research
material available specifically for genealogy
research.
Research Requests:
Birth and death records are not governed by HIPPA. These records fall under Vital Registration Statutes. These statutes mandate that birth and death records only be released to a qualified applicant upon payment of the required fee.
In order to receive a copy of a birth or death certificate an applicant (A person who requests a service pertaining to a record of birth or death, verification of marriage or divorce, or release of personal date [Title 25 TAC 181.1 (1)]) must be a qualified applicant, which is:
Title 25 TAC 181.1 (22): the registrant, or immediate family member either by blood, marriage or adoption, his or her guardian, or his or her legal agent or representative. Local, state and federal law enforcement or governmental agencies and other persons may be designated as properly qualified applicants by demonstrating a direct and tangible interest in the record when the information in the record is necessary to implement a statutory provision or to protect a personal legal property right. A properly qualified applicant may also be a person who has submitted an application for a request to release personal information and has been approved as outlined in §181.11 of this title (relating to Requests for Personal Data).
Note: Effective immediately all research requests for information regarding births and deaths should be forwarded to the Texas Department of State Health Services Institutional Review Board at http://www.dshs.state.tx.us/irb/
QUESTIONS
OR COMMENTS? Ask Vital Statistics!
Notice:
Current fees are effective March 13, 2006, in accordance with legislation approved during the 79th Texas Legislative session. The new legislation, coupled with Vital Statistics modernization and automation initiatives, led to changes in fees charged for vital record services. These changes are mandated by Texas Administrative Code Title 25 Chapter 181.22.