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How to order a Louisiana birth certificate

Who holds it: Louisiana Department of Health, Vital Records Registry (Center for Vital Records and Statistics), New Orleans; also participating parish clerks of court1

Last checked against official sources on .

On this page
  1. How to search and order
  2. Fees
  3. Who may order and what is restricted
  4. Older records and indexes
  5. Related records in Louisiana
  6. How Louisiana handles it
  7. Birth certificates in Louisiana parishes with a full guide
  8. Official warnings
  9. Official copies vs look-alike sites
  10. Sources

Fee

$15.00 per certified birth certificate; $24.00 birth certificate plus short-form card (pair); +$0.50 state charge on mail/VitalChek orders; VitalChek adds its own fees2

Who may order

The registrant; current spouse; mother, father, adult child, sibling, grandparent or grandchild; an attorney representing one of them; others need the registrant's authorization or a custody judgment1

How to search and order

How to order
In person at Vital Records Central Office, 1450 Poydras St., Suite 400, New Orleans (walk-in 8:00–3:30); by mail to Vital Records Registry, PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160 (8–10 weeks); online/phone via VitalChek; or at participating clerks of court1

Fees

Clerk fee
Clerk of court issued long-form birth certificate $34.00; short-form/long-form combo $48.00 per pair2

Who may order and what is restricted

Closed record
Closed record state: birth and death certificates are not public records1
Statute eligibility
R.S. 40:41(C): registrant, immediate/surviving family, and listed others3
ID required
Identification required: one primary document (e.g., current photo driver's license or state photo ID, U.S. military photo ID, passport, certificate of naturalization or citizenship) or two secondary documents (e.g., Social Security card, vehicle title, insurance policy, pay stub)4

Older records and indexes

Older
Births more than 100 years old: Louisiana State Archives (Secretary of State); certified copy $10 by mail, photocopy $55
Death certificates: who holds it
LDH Vital Records Registry; participating clerks of court for deaths on or after July 7, 20126
Death certificates: fee
$7.00 per certified death certificate (+$0.50 on mail/VitalChek orders); clerk-of-court issued death certificate $26.002

How Louisiana handles it

  • Orleans Parish: land records at the Clerk of Civil District Court Land Records Division (former Recorder of Mortgages, Register of Conveyances, Notarial Archives consolidated); marriage licenses and 50-year marriage records at LDH Vital Records; property taxes collected by the City Bureau of Treasury, not the sheriff.7
  • Clerks of district court (and the Second City Court of New Orleans) can issue state birth and death certificates from the state database, at higher fees than LDH.8

Birth certificates in Louisiana parishes with a full guide

The local office, its official online search and its own fee, for each parish with a full guide. Local fees can differ from the statewide figures above.

ParishOfficeSearch onlineFee
Ascension ParishClerk issues Louisiana birth certificates (births 1903-present) for $34.009——
Bossier ParishClerk of Court10—$34.00, cash or card11
Caddo ParishCaddo Parish Clerk of Court12—Clerk fee: Clerk of court issued long-form birth certificate $34.00; short-form/long-form combo $48.00 per pair13
Calcasieu ParishCalcasieu Parish Clerk of Court - West Calcasieu Annex14—Birth certificate $34; birth certificate + card $4815
East Baton Rouge ParishEast Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court16—Clerk fee: Clerk of court issued long-form birth certificate $34.00; short-form/long-form combo $48.00 per pair17
Jefferson ParishJefferson Parish Clerk of Court, Birth & Death Certificates18—$34.00 birth certificate; $48.00 certificate + birth card (cash, check or money order)18
Lafayette ParishLafayette Parish Clerk of Court – Birth Certificate and Death Certificate Departments19—Birth certificate $34.00; with birth card $48.00 (cash only)20
Livingston ParishLouisiana Department of Health, Vital Records Registry (Center for Vital Records and Statistics), New Orleans21——
Orleans ParishIn person at Vital Records Central Office, 1450 Poydras St., Suite 400, New Orleans (walk-in 8:00–3:30)22——
Ouachita ParishOuachita Parish Clerk of Court - Marriage Department and vital certificate issuance23——
St. Tammany ParishClerk of Court, Personal Document Services24——
Tangipahoa ParishTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Court25—Long form $34.00; short + long form combination $48.00; any Louisiana birth; cash or debit/credit only; Amite office only26

For any other parish, see the parish list on the Louisiana guide.

Official warnings

  • LDH does not take online/credit-card orders directly; VitalChek is its only authorized online vendor and charges extra fees.1

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 Louisiana 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 Louisiana: Louisiana public records guide.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

  1. How To Order Birth RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  2. Service Fees (Vital Records)Louisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  3. La. R.S. 40:41 – Disclosure of records (vital records)Louisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  4. Identification RequirementsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  5. Historical Birth RecordsLouisiana Secretary of State (Department of State), State Archiveschecked November 4, 2026
  6. How To Order Death RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  7. Mortgages, Conveyances, Notarial ArchivesCity of New Orleanschecked November 4, 2026
  8. La. R.S. 40:39.1 – Certified copies of birth and death certificates; clerks of district courtsLouisiana State Legislaturechecked November 4, 2026
  9. Birth & Death CertificatesAscension Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  10. Bossier Parish Police Jury HomeBossier Parishchecked November 8, 2026
  11. Birth & Death Certificates - Bossier Parish Clerk of Court - 26th Judicial District CourtBossier Parishchecked November 8, 2026
  12. Clerk homeCaddo Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  13. Service Fees (Vital Records)Louisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  14. Calcasieu Parish Clerk of Court - HomeCalcasieu Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  15. Birth/Death Certificates - Sulphur AnnexCalcasieu Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  16. Birth/Death CertificatesEast Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  17. Service Fees (Vital Records)Louisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  18. Birth & Death CertificatesJefferson Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  19. Birth Certificate DepartmentLafayette Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  20. FeesLafayette Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  21. How To Order Birth RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  22. How To Order Birth RecordsLouisiana Department of Health, Center for Vital Records and Statisticschecked November 4, 2026
  23. Marriage DepartmentOuachita Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  24. Clerk of Court: Personal Document ServicesSt. Tammany Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026
  25. Clerk of Court Contact Information (Tangipahoa)Louisiana Secretary of Statechecked November 4, 2026
  26. Birth CertificatesTangipahoa Parish Clerk of Courtchecked November 4, 2026