How to order a Montana birth certificate
Who holds it: Montana DPHHS Office of Vital Records, PO Box 4210, Helena MT 59604; also issued by any County Clerk & Recorder in person, regardless of county of birth1
On this page
Fee
$16 per certified or informational copy (state fee schedule effective September 21, 2024)1
Who may order
Registrant, spouse, children, parents, guardian or authorized representative; others who show the record is needed to determine or protect personal or property rights2
How to search and order
- Walk-in service
- State office closed to walk-in service1
- Vendors
- Only contracted online vendors: VitalChek and VitalRecordsOnline (VRO), extra fees apply1
Fees
- County statute fee
- Statute lists a county clerk fee of $8 per certified birth copy and $7 per death copy3
Who may order and what is restricted
- Public after
- Complete birth records may be released to the public 30 years after the date of birth4
- ID required
- Mail orders: copy of valid ID or notarized application1
More details
- Informational
- Informational (non-legal) copies may be issued to anyone for births 30 or more years ago5
- Long form
- Long-form (vault copy) only from the State office in Helena or the clerk and recorder of the county of birth1
- Certified vs informational
- Certified copies (blue-bordered security paper, holographic bear) are the only versions accepted for legal ID; informational copies are stamped and for genealogy/personal use6
Related records in Montana
- Death certificates: who holds it
- DPHHS Office of Vital Records and any County Clerk & Recorder1
- Death certificates: fee
- $16 certified or informational copy5
- Older records: old births
- Birth records 30+ years old are public; informational copies available to anyone5
How Montana handles it
- Birth and death certificates can be bought at ANY county clerk and recorder, not only the county of the event (long-form only in birth county or Helena)1
Birth certificates in Montana 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.
| County | Office | Search online | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gallatin County | Clerk and Recorder7 | — | $8 per copy at the county7 |
| Yellowstone County | Yellowstone County Clerk & Recorder8 | — | — |
For any other county, see the county list on the Montana guide.
Official warnings
- DPHHS consumer alert: private websites charge high fees to "help" order birth/death certificates; only VitalChek and VRO are contracted; complaints to DOJ Office of Consumer Protection1
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 Montana 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 Montana: Montana public records guide.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 8 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Birth and Death CertificatesMontana DPHHS Office of Vital Records
- Mont. Code Ann. § 50-15-121, Copies from system of vital statisticsMontana Legislature (Montana Code Annotated 2025)
- Mont. Code Ann. § 7-4-2631, Fees of county clerkMontana Legislature (Montana Code Annotated 2025)
- Mont. Code Ann. § 50-15-122, Disclosure of information from vital records or vital reports -- rulesMontana Legislature (Montana Code Annotated 2025)
- Office of Vital Records Fee ScheduleMontana DPHHS Office of Vital Records
- Certified Copy vs Informational CertificatesMontana DPHHS Office of Vital Records
- Clerk and RecorderGallatin County, MT
- Birth RecordsYellowstone County Clerk & Recorder