Obtaining a Copy of Your Child's Birth Certificate
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FOR BABIES BORN IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK*:
*This does not apply to babies born in the five boroughs of NYC. If your child was born in NYC, please read the second section of this post.
Amended birth certificates are processed through the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH). After the adoption finalization, the court will send an original certified Report of Adoption and Order of Adoption to the NYSDOH to make a formal request for an amended birth certificate. The first amended birth certificate, post-adoption, for children born in New York State is FREE.
Processing times for amended birth certificates requested through NYSDOH for children born in NYS is approximately four to five months. Once the amended birth certificate is processed and issued, it will be sent to the attorney’s office or directly to the adoptive parents’ home.
More information on fees, the application process, and checking the status of a requested amended birth certificate may be found by calling 855-322-1022 or go to https://www.health.ny.gov/vital_records/birth.htm
New York State Department of Health
Vital Records Certification Unit
P.O. Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602
FOR ALL BABIES BORN IN ONE OF THE FIVE BOROUGHS OF NEW YORK CITY:
The first birth certificate after the adoption is NOT free and is NOT sent automatically to the parents. Requests for amended birth certificates, post-adoption, for children born in one of the five boroughs are processed through the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYCDOH).
Prior to the adoption finalization, adoptive parents should provide a check to their adoption attorney for an amended birth certificate. The check should be made payable to the NYCDOH with the required fee for the birth certificate. Amended birth certificates are $15 each with a $40 processing fee (ex: the fee for one birth certificate is $55 and the fee for two birth certificates is $70). The adoption attorney will forward the check to the court prior to the adoption finalization.
After the adoption finalization, the court will forward the original certified Notification of Adoption, Order of Adoption and the fees to make a formal request for an amended birth certificate. Processing time for an amended birth certificate, requested through the NYCDOH, is approximately three to four months. Once the amended birth certificate is processed and issued it will be sent to the attorney’s office or directly to the adoptive parents’ home.
For more information on fees, the application process and checking the status of a requested amended birth certificate go to: http://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/birth-death-records-corrections-birth.page
In Person Requests- Go to The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Office of Vital Records at 125 Worth Street, Room 144, in New York City, Monday through Friday from 9:00am-3:30pm. Fill out the Birth Certificate Correction Application Form (download and print from online www.nyc.gov.vitalrecords). Present the form, both parents' photo IDs, and $55 payment in form of credit card, check or money order made out to New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
FOR CHILDREN BORN WITHIN THE UNITED STATES (outside of New York State):
Requests for amended birth certificates, post-adoption, for children born in the United States, outside of NY, are processed through the local vital statistics office where the child was born. After the adoption is finalized, the court will forward an original certified Report of Adoption and Order of Adoption to the local vital statistics office where the adoptive child was born to make a formal request for an amended birth certificate. The application, supporting documents and fees to process and issue an amended birth certificate outside of New York vary from state to state. Adoptive parents are encouraged to reach out to the local vital statistics office in the state where their adoptive child was born to confirm what application and/or additional supporting documents and fees are required to complete the amended birth certificate request.
Processing times for amended birth certificates requested through local vital statistics offices outside of New York vary from state to state. Once the amended birth certificate is processed and issued it will be sent to the attorney’s office or directly to the adoptive parents’ home.
More information on fees, the application process and checking the status of a requested amended birth certificate from a local vital statistics office outside of New York State may be found online through the local vital statistics websites.