The Official Website of
Florida Vital
Records
To protect, promote & improve the health of all people in Florida
through integrated state, county, & community efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQ's)
Birth
Filing
Certificate of Foreign Birth
Death
Marriage
Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)
Paternity
Adoption
Delayed Filings
Putative Father Registry
Vital Record Certifications
Birth
Q:
How do I
order a Florida Birth Certificate?
A: For
births 1917 to present; go to the ordering information
section or to any Florida County Health Department Vital Statistics office.
Q: Does
the parent(s) automatically receive their child/children's first birth
certificate free of charge?
A: No. All
Florida birth certificates must be purchased. See our section on how to order a
birth certificate.
Q:
How
do I change a name on a Florida Birth Certificate?
A: You
should contact the Florida Vitals Statistics Amendment unit at (904) 359-6900
ext 9005 or you may visit our
amendments section.
Q:
Can I
order a Birth Certificate online?
A: At this
time Florida does not provide this service. You can, however, order a birth
certificate with a credit card either by calling a private service called Vital
Chek at their
toll free number (877) 550-7330 or by visiting their website:
VitalChek
Q:
I was
born in Florida, but have a Legal Change of Name court order that was granted in
another state. Would Florida Vital Statistics accept my
court order to
change my name on my birth record?
A: Yes.
For further questions regarding legal name changes, please contact the
Corrections Amendment Unit at (904) 359-6900, Ext. 9005.
Q: Both of my parents are deceased and I have never had a birth record after
being born at home by midwife, how can I get one filed?
A: Contact our Delay Unit at (904)359-6900 Ext. 9003.
Q:
How can a father receive his child/children's birth record if his name is
not on the birth record and the mother is deceased?
A: Contact our Paternity/CSE unit at (904)359-6900 Ext. 9004
Q:
What is considered a valid
current photo ID?
A: A
Driver's License, State Identification Card, Passport, and/or Military
Identification Card are acceptable forms of photo ID.
Filing Certificate of Foreign Birth
Q.
I have recently adopted a child from another country. Can I request that a
birth certificate be filed in Florida?
A: Only if the
actual adoption took place in Florida and the order of adoption was issued by a
court in the State of Florida, we can file Certificates of Foreign Birth in accordance with
Chapter 382. 017, Florida Statute.
Q. My
order of adoption came from another country, will you still accept it?
A: Not unless the
order was filed at a Florida court either recognizing or domesticating that
foreign judgment. For more information regarding filing for Certificates of Foreign Birth
contact the Adoption Unit at (904) 359-6900 ext. 9001.
State forms and applications relating to Foreign Births
Florida Statutes
Death
Q:
How do I order a Florida
Death Certificate?
A:
Visit our page for information on ordering
death certificates.
Q:
How do I make
changes on a Florida Death Certificate?
A: You
should contact the Florida Bureau of Vitals Statistics Amendment Unit at
(904) 359-6900 ext 9005 or you may visit our amendments section.
Q:
Where can I find burial
information?
A: You may
contact either the funeral home that presided over the method of disposition of
the body (burial, cremation, etc) or the place of disposition
(cemetery, mausoleum, etc), if known. Method and Place of disposition is noted
on the death certificate.
For ordering information visit our section
on death certificates.
Q:
How can I obtain the cause of death on a relative that had no living children;
there is only one family member left beside me and that person
is in a mental hospital? The deceased listed that relative as his beneficiary
on an insurance policy.
A:
Documentation must be presented verifying the relative is incapacitated. You
also need documentation showing you are acting on behalf of that relative. Such documentation
might include a court order appointing you as guardian, a copy of a Social
Security document that shows you are receiving benefits on behalf of this person, or
other documentation that demonstrates your right to act on that relative's
behalf.
Marriage
Q:
How do I order a Marriage
Certificate
A:
Visit our section on ordering Marriage
Certificates.
Q:
I was told I would receive a copy of my marriage license and I have not received it yet.
A: After the
ceremony, the marriage license is to be returned to the Clerk of Court so it can
be filed and recorded. Many of the clerks will send one certified copy to the couple using
the fee that was paid at the time of application. For contact information you
can go to the Clerk of Court website:
Florida Clerk of the Court
The clerk will
forward the original license to this office for permanent filing. It generally
takes up to 60 days from the date of marriage to be received and input into our system. If you
need evidence of your marriage for legal purposes before that time you may want
to obtain additional copies from the clerk.
Q:
What are the
requirements to get married in Florida?
A: You
should check with the Clerk of Court in the county where you plan to get the
license. You can also check Chapter 741, Florida Statutes, which is the law
that governs marriage in
Florida.
Florida Clerk of the Court
Florida Statutes
Q:
My uncle is a minister in Indiana. Can he perform a marriage in Florida?
A: The
Clerk of Court can advise as to who is authorized to perform a marriage in
Florida.
For contact
information you can go to the Clerk of Court website:
Florida Clerk of the Court
Q:
What Marriage records are available from the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics?
A:
Marriage records from June 6, 1927 - Present are available at this
office. Any marriage record prior to June 6, 1927 is available from the Clerk
of Court in the county where
the marriage license was issued.
Prior to 1972 the Application to Marry may be available from the Clerk of
Court. Beginning with 1972, the Application to Marry section was incorporated
to the front
of the marriage record and is no longer a separate document.
Q:
I was married in Jamaica and was told I need to register the event in Florida.
How do I do this?
A: Vital Statistics registers only marriage licenses issued and recorded
by the Clerk of Court. You may contact the official records department of the
Clerk of Court
or for contact information you can go to the Clerk of Court website
Florida Clerk of the Court
Q:
My Marriage license has an error on it. How do I get it corrected?
A: You will
need to contact the Clerk of Court office that issued the marriage license to
correct any errors. For contact information you can go to the Clerk of
Court website:
Florida Clerk of the Court
Dissolution of Marriage (Divorce)
Q:
How do I order a
Dissolution of Marriage Report:
A.
Visit the
section on ordering Dissolution of Marriage Certificates.
Q:
What are the
requirements to get divorced in Florida?
A: You will
need to contact the Clerk of Court for information on how to file for a divorce.
For contact information go to: Florida
Clerk of the Court
Q:
What Dissolution of Marriage Reports does the state have available?
A: After a divorce has been recorded, the Clerk of the Court sends a
Report of Dissolution of Marriage to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. If the
divorce was recently
granted, it generally takes up to 60 days to be received by this office from the
Clerk of the Court. The divorce decree and other court papers remain on file at
the Clerk's office. If the current dissolution of marriage is less than 60 days from the date of
application and you need evidence of the divorce for legal purposes, you may
wish to contact the county
where the Dissolution of Marriage was granted.
The state office has reports dating from June 6, 1927 - Present. Any divorces
prior to June 6, 1927 can be obtained from the Clerk of the Court in the County
where the divorce
was granted. For contact information go to:
Florida Clerk of the Court
Q: What does
a Report of Dissolution of Marriage contain?
A: The report is a one-page document containing the names and addresses
of the parties, the date filed and recorded, case number, county of occurrence,
and date
and place of marriage.
Q: Does your office
have all of my divorce papers?
A:
No. All papers associated with the divorce action are maintained by the Clerk
of Court. For contact
information go to: Florida
Clerk of the Court
Q:
I received my certified copy of the Report of Dissolution of Marriage and it has
an error on it. What should I do?
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If
you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records
request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this
office by phone or in writing.
A:
You can email Vital Statistics at
VitalStats@doh.state.fl.us. Please include a daytime phone number where you
can be reached, and we will contact you about how to correct the
report.
Paternity
Q:
How do I add a father to the
birth record?
A: If the
mother was unwed at the time of the child's birth, the father's name may be
added to his child's birth record through a voluntary Acknowledgment of
Paternity Affidavit, DH 432.
This form can be found in our state applications and
forms.
A voluntary acknowledgment cannot be filed if the mother was legally married at
the time of the child's birth or if a father is already listed on the birth
record.
A voluntary acknowledgment should also not be requested if any type of court
action establishing paternity is in progress.
Q:
How do I change fathers on a
birth record?
A: If the mother was legally married at the time of the child's birth or
a different man is already listed on the birth record, then a court order
determining paternity must be
submitted where all three parties have been properly notified of the
proceedings.
Q:
How do I remove a father
from a birth record?
A: Florida statutes require a
court order to delete a father's name on a birth record.
Adoption
Q:
Can my
husband adopt my child without going through court?
A: No.
A change of the birth record that changes or adds a non-biological parent
requires a court order.
See our amendments section for more information.
Q:
If my child was born in another state, but adopted in Florida will I get a
Florida Birth Certificate?
A: No. If
received by this office, the adoption paperwork from the court will be
transferred to the child's state of birth, and the birth record must be ordered
from that state. For further
questions regarding adoptions, please contact the Adoption Unit at
(904) 359-6900 ext. 9001.
Q:
I had a child in Florida, which I gave up for adoption. How can I get that
child's birth record?
A:
Contact our Adoption Unit at (904)359-6900 Ext: 9001.
Q:
How can a father receive his child/children's birth record if his name is not on
the birth record and the mother is deceased?
A: Contact our
Paternity/CSE unit at (904) 359-6900 ext. 9004.
Q:
I was born in Florida and adopted. Can I get a copy of the original birth
record?
A: It is
possible if you have a notarized consent from all the parties (yourself, birth
parent(s), and adoptive parent(s). You can then request copies of the documents maintained in a
Vital Statistics sealed adoptive file. If any of the required consents (with
the exception of the adult adoptee) are not available because the party is deceased, you can
submit a certified death record for that person in lieu of their consenting
affidavit.
Q:
What if I don't know
who the birth parent(s) are?
A: You must
have either the consenting affidavit or the death record to gain access to the
Vital Statistics sealed adoptive file; however, you may want to consider contacting the
Florida Adoption Reunion Registry (FARR) to see if the birth parent has
registered. You can contact the Florida Adoption Reunion Registry at
1-850-922-6234,
or write them at 1317 Winewood Blvd., Bldg A Room 102, Tallahassee, FL
32399-0700.
Q.
If I am the birth parent, can I request information regarding the child that I
gave up for adoption?
A: To do so
you must contact the Florida Adoption Reunion Registry (FARR) at the phone #
above, or by writing to FARR, 1317 Winewood
Blvd., Bldg. A, Room 102, Tallahassee, FL 32399-0700.
Q:
I had a child in the 1960's when I was young and gave her up for adoption how
can I get her birth record?
A: Contact our
adoption Unit at (904) 359-6900 ext. 9001. For more information concerning the
release of adoption information, call the Adoption Unit at (904) 359-6900 ext.
1086 or 1081.
See the
Florida Adoption Reunion Registry for more information, applications, or
brochures.
Delayed Filings
Q:
Can I file a Delayed Certificate of Birth at my local county health department?
A: In some
cases, if a child is less than one year of age, you may contact
the local county health department's vital statistics office, in the county
where the birth occurred, to file a belated
birth record. The chief deputy registrar will assist you with the filing of the
birth record. A Delayed Certificate of birth (for a child one year of age
through adult) requires contacting
the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville, Florida. You must call the
Delayed Unit at (904) 359-6900 ext 9003.
Q:
If I know that no birth record was ever filed, do I still need to have a search
of records before I file for a delayed record?
A: Yes. An official
search of the state's vital records must be conducted before either an
administrative or a court filed delayed can be filed. For more information
regarding filing a Delayed Certificate
of Birth contact the Delay Unit at (904) 359-6900 ext. 9003.
You may visit our amendments section
for more information.
Putative
Father Registry
Q:
I am petitioning the court for an adoption without the use of an attorney, can I
just send in my application for a search of the Putative Father Registry?
A: If you are
handling the petition yourself, you must also submit a certified order granting
the petitioners motion to search the Putative Father Registry. You may
visit our section on the Putative Father Registry for
more information.
Q: If
I make a Putative Father Claim, will that put my name on my child's birth record?
A: No. Making a
Putative Claim does not affect the birth record and is only applicable in cases
where the child is potentially being placed for adoption.
If the mother of the child was
unmarried at the time of the child's birth, and the mother and putative father
are in agreement, the father's name can be added to the birth record through a
Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity process. See form DH432 or contact
the Paternity Unit at (904) 359-6900 ext. 9004.
You may contact the
Florida Putative Father Registry contact the Registry at (904) 359-6900 ext.
1086, or 1068.
Vital Record
Certifications
Q: Do
Florida vital record certifications have a "raised" seal?
A: Florida vital record certifications have an "embossed" seal of the
state of Florida. By running thumb and forefinger over the seal, a slight raise
can be felt. The absence of a highly raised seal, in no way diminishes the
authenticity or validity of Florida vital record certifications. Florida vital
record certifications are accepted by all state and federal agencies.
If you have any
questions not addressed on our general information page please email us,
including a day time phone number.
Under Florida law,
e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address
released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to
this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.
VitalStats@doh.state.fl.us
