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How to order a Missouri birth certificate

Who holds it: DHSS Bureau of Vital Records (state registrar), births 1910-present (some delayed certificates earlier); local public health agencies (115 locations) issue short-form births 1920-present. Pre-1910 records (1883-1893 county registrations) are at the State Archives.1

Last checked against official sources on .

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

Fee

$15 per certified copy (state or local); VitalChek online/phone adds its own processing fee (amount not stated on DHSS page). Each fee covers a 5-year search.2

Who may order

Only persons with a direct and tangible interest: registrant, immediate family (direct line of descent, including in-laws, up to but not including cousins), guardian, or official representative; others with documented property/personal rights need.1

Processing time

Mail to Jefferson City about 4-8 weeks; VitalChek phone/online 5-7 business days; local health agencies usually faster.3

How to search and order

How to order
In person at any local public health agency (walk-in) or at the Jefferson City office (930 Wildwood Dr.; appointment recommended); by mail (notarized application + check/money order payable to Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services); online/phone only via VitalChek, the sole state-approved vendor.4

Who may order and what is restricted

Restrictions
Vital records are not open to the public; disclosure unlawful except as authorized (RSMo 193.245). Photo ID (or two alternate IDs) in person; mailed applications must be notarized. Adoptees' original birth certificates available as non-certified genealogical copies under the Missouri Adoptee Rights Act.1

Older records and indexes

Index
No public statewide birth index; pre-1910 birth & death records database at State Archives (Missouri Digital Heritage).3
Death certificates: who holds it
DHSS Bureau of Vital Records (1910-present); local public health agencies (1980-present, short form); death certificates over 50 years old are transferred to the Missouri State Archives (no certified copies there).5
Death certificates: fee
$14 first certified copy, $11 each additional copy ordered at the same time (state or local registrar).2
Older records: vital record indexes
Death certificates 1910-1975 (free images); pre-1910 birth & death records database; birth records only through DHSS.6

How Missouri handles it

  • City of St. Louis is an independent city (not within a county) with its own recorder fee statute (RSMo 59.313) and a combined "Recorder of Deeds and Vital Records Registrar".7

Birth certificates in Missouri counties with a full guide

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

CountyOfficeSearch onlineFee
Greene CountyDHSS Bureau of Vital Records 1910 to present; local public health agencies 1920 to present (short form)8—$15 per certified copy (state or local)9
Jackson CountyJackson County Public Health - Vital Records10—$15.00 per certified copy11
St. Charles CountySt. Charles County Department of Public Health, Vital Records12—$15 per record12
St. Louis CityRecorder of Deeds and Vital Records Registrar13—$15.00 per certified copy (VitalChek online orders add a $11.25 nonrefundable payment)14
St. Louis CountySaint Louis County Department of Public Health, Office of Vital Records15—$15 per certified copy (state statute, applies to local registrars)16

For any other county, see the county list on the Missouri guide.

Official warnings

  • Unofficial online vital-record ordering sites (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records)4

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 Missouri 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 Missouri: Missouri 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. Order a Copy of a Vital RecordMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  2. RSMo 193.265 Fees for vital records certificationMissouri Revisor of Statutes (Missouri General Assembly)checked November 4, 2026
  3. Vital Records Frequently Asked QuestionsMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  4. Consumer Alert - Ordering a Vital Record OnlineMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Recordschecked November 4, 2026
  5. Missouri Vital Records (Research Room)Missouri State Archives, Office of the Secretary of Statechecked November 4, 2026
  6. Missouri Death Certificates, 1910-1975Missouri State Archives, Office of the Secretary of Statechecked November 4, 2026
  7. RSMo 59.313 Recorder's fees (St. Louis City)Missouri Revisor of Statutes (Missouri General Assembly)checked November 4, 2026
  8. Order a Copy of a Vital RecordMissouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Recordschecked November 7, 2026
  9. RSMo 193.265 Fees for vital records certificationMissouri Revisor of Statutes (Missouri General Assembly)checked November 7, 2026
  10. Jackson County Public Health (home)Jackson County Public Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  11. Birth CertificatesJackson County Public Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  12. Birth and Death Certificates/Vital RecordsSt. Charles County Department of Public Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  13. St. Louis City, MO: Recorder of Deeds and Vital Records RegistrarCity of St. Louis (stlouis-mo.gov)checked November 8, 2026
  14. St. Louis City, MO: Recorder of Deeds: BirthRecorder of Deeds, City of St. Louischecked November 8, 2026
  15. Birth and Death RecordsSt. Louis County Department of Public Healthchecked November 4, 2026
  16. RSMo 193.265Missouri Revisor of Statuteschecked November 4, 2026