How to order a Nebraska birth certificate
Who holds it: DHHS Office of Vital Records (Lincoln), statewide from 1904 (birth certificates from 1912; delayed births). Counties do not issue birth certificates (e.g., Buffalo County directs all requests to DHHS).1
On this page
Fee
$17 per certified birth certificate (mail: check/money order to "Vital Records"). No-fee certified birth certificate for voters without a Nebraska driver's license/state ID who need it to obtain a state ID for voting.2
Who may order
Requests must meet the "proper purpose" rule: registrant, or others who prove relationship (e.g., child requesting a parent's record shows own birth certificate; spouse shows marriage record). Genealogical copies when the registrant has been deceased 50+ years.2
How to search and order
- How to order
- Online at nevitalrecords-dhhs.ne.gov (Visa/MasterCard); by mail to Nebraska Vital Records, P.O. Box 95065, Lincoln, NE 68509-5065; walk-in at 301 Centennial Mall South, First Floor, Lincoln. Phone (402) 471-2871.2
Who may order and what is restricted
- Restrictions
- Photocopy of current government-issued photo ID required; no fax/email applications; search fee kept if no record found or requester not entitled.2
Related records in Nebraska
- Death certificates: who holds it
- DHHS Office of Vital Records, statewide from 1904.1
- Death certificates: fee
- $16 per certified death certificate.2
- Older records: vital records for genealogy
- DHHS releases vital records for family history only if 50+ years old; genealogy requests take up to 12 weeks.1
Birth certificates in Nebraska 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas County | Douglas County Health Department, Vital Statistics3 | — | — |
| Lancaster County | — | — | $17 by mail4 |
| Sarpy County | Nebraska DHHS Office of Vital Records5 | — | — |
For any other county, see the county list on the Nebraska guide.
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 Nebraska 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 Nebraska: Nebraska public records guide.
Sources
Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 5 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.
- Vital Records - Family History (Genealogy)Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Records
- Vital RecordsNebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Records
- Douglas County Clerk of the District Court / Jury CommissionerDouglas County, Nebraska
- Vital RecordsNebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Vital Records
- Vital RecordsNebraska DHHS