How to order a New Hampshire birth certificate
Who holds it: City/town clerks (all 234) and the NH Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA, Secretary of State), 9 Ratification Way, Concord1
On this page
Fee
$15 search fee (includes one certified copy if found; payable whether or not found); $10 each additional copy of the same record issued at the same time1
Who may order
Only persons with a "direct and tangible interest": registrant, immediate family, legal guardian or representative, persons needing it to determine/protect a personal or property right, news media for information of a public nature, persons authorized by the immediate family for genealogy2
Processing time
In person usually while you wait at DVRA; mail requests allow 20 business days3
Who may order and what is restricted
- Restrictions
- Photo ID required (or the alternate documentation form). Older records: RSA 5-C:102, I makes births before 1901 and deaths, marriages, divorces, legal separations and civil annulments before 1948 public; the DVRA FAQ instead states births before 1911 and deaths, marriages and divorces before 1961. The two sources conflict4
More details
- Third party
- Expedited credit-card ordering via VitalChek or EB2Gov (vendor fees extra; not affiliated with the State)3
Related records in New Hampshire
- Death certificates: who holds it
- City/town clerks and DVRA; the court FAQ points to the town or city where the death occurred5
- Death certificates: fee
- $15 search (first copy), $10 each additional copy6
- Older records: vital research
- DVRA genealogical research room (same building) with records back to 1640; older records open to the public (RSA 5-C:102, I: births before 1901, deaths/marriages/divorces before 1948; DVRA FAQ says 1911/1961); volunteer genealogists assist3
How New Hampshire handles it
- Vital records are kept by 234 city and town clerks plus the state DVRA - any clerk can issue. Any of the 234 city/town clerks or DVRA can issue certified copies1
Birth certificates in New Hampshire 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsborough County | City/town clerks or DVRA; $15 first copy, $10 each additional; direct and tangible interest required7 | — | — |
| Rockingham County | City/town clerks or DVRA; $15 first copy, $10 each additional; direct and tangible interest required8 | — | — |
For any other county, see the county list on the New Hampshire guide.
Official warnings
- Third-party vital record vendors. DVRA: VitalChek/EB2Gov add their own fees and are not affiliated with the State3
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 New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire: New Hampshire 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.
- Request for CertificatesNH Secretary of State - Division of Vital Records Administrationarchived copy
- RSA 5-C:102 Disclosure of Information to Individuals; Direct and Tangible InterestNH General Courtarchived copy
- Vital Records FAQsNH Secretary of State - Division of Vital Records Administrationarchived copy
- RSA chapter 5-C, merged textNH General Courtarchived copy
- Judicial Branch FAQsNew Hampshire Judicial Brancharchived copy
- RSA 5-C:10 Fees for Copies, Verifications and Amendments to Vital RecordsNH General Courtarchived copy
- RSA 5-C:10NH General Court
- RSA 5-C:10 Fees for Copies, Verifications and Amendments to Vital RecordsNH General Courtarchived copy