How to order a District of Columbia birth certificate
Who holds it: DC Health, Vital Records Division, 2201 Shannon Place SE; records from August 18741
On this page
Fee
$23; fee is a non-refundable search fee and includes one copy if found. VitalChek adds $15.95 (online or phone) or $6.00 (mail)2
Who may order
The registrant (18+), named parent, adult child or sibling, grandparent, legal guardian, legal representative, social worker, power of attorney, law enforcement. Spouses and domestic partners may NOT order1
How to search and order
- How to get it
- Walk-up kiosks (often same day), or by mail, phone or online through VitalChek only; allow 2-4 weeks for remote orders3
Who may order and what is restricted
- Restrictions
- Closed for 125 years, then public; vital records are exempt from FOIA4
Related records in District of Columbia
- Death certificates: who holds it
- DC Health, Vital Records Division; records from August 18745
- Death certificates: fee
- $18; VitalChek adds $15.95 (online or phone) or $6.00 (mail)2
How District of Columbia handles it
- Marriage records are at the Superior Court, not DC Health; birth and death are at DC Health6
The District's own offices, searches and fees: District of Columbia birth certificates.
Official copies vs look-alike sites
A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any District of Columbia office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.
Rules in other states: birth certificates in every state. Everything else in District of Columbia: District of Columbia public records guide.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 6 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Birth CertificatesDC Health
- Vital RecordsDC Health
- DC Vital Records - Important NoticesDC Health
- D.C. Code § 7-231.24 (vital records confidentiality and disclosure)Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Law Library
- Death CertificatesDC Health
- MarriageDistrict of Columbia Courts