Vital Statistics - Birth and Death Records

Vital Statistics - Birth and Death Records
King County Administration Bldg., Rm. 214
500 - 4th Ave. [MAP]
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: 206-296-4768
Toll-free: 1-800-325-6165, ext. 64768

Hours: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM, Monday - Friday
Languages: Vital Statistics personnel are available to assist you in English and Spanish. Request forms for birth & death certificates are available in English, Spanish & Russian.

	Birth certificate ordering instructions
	Death certificate ordering instructions
	Common questions about birth and death records
	How to make changes to birth certificates
	Getting records for marriage, divorce, adoptions, name changes, immigration, bankruptcy (records not handled by Public Health)

Birth certificate ordering instructions

Certified birth records can be obtained for:

All persons born in Seattle or King County (all years)
All Washington State births registered from 1923 to present.
For births registered before 1923, please contact the Washington State Center for Health Statistics at 360-236-4300 or visit their website at: www.doh.wa.gov/EHSPHL/CHS/cert.htm.

How much does a birth certificate cost?:

$20.00 each (cash, check, money orders). Make checks payable to: Vital Statistics. For credit card processing, please see instructions below under methods for ordering.
Any time a record is searched for and is not found, an $8.00 search fee is charged per the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 70.58.107).

Information you need to provide us to search for a birth record:

Listed in order of importance, provide as much of the following as possible.
The first five are required.

1. Name of child: (First, Middle, Last)

2. Birthdate of child

3. Place of birth.

4. Mother's maiden name

5. Father's full name (if it appears on the record)

6. Your relationship to the person (self, parent, or explain)

7. Adopted? (Yes or No)

4 different methods to order a birth certificate:

Mail-in ordering (choose format below):

In Spanish/en Español:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAIL-IN ORDERS: Print out the form, write in your information, and mail it to the address provided on the form. You can expect your birth certificate order in approximately 2-3 weeks when choosing the mail-in method.

Online ordering using a credit card:

Visit the VitalChek website then follow the instructions on the site. All credit card orders are processed within 2-3 days and then sent by regular mail. The option for UPS (next-day delivery) is an additional $20.00.

UPS overnight delivery requires a signature when delivered. No UPS delivery to PO boxes.

What to expect on your credit card bill using VitalChek services:

The base fee for birth and death records is $20.00 each.
A fee of $12.00 is added per order (for any quantity of records in the order) for priority handling so if you are ordering one birth certificate at $20 + $12 handling fee, you can expect a total of $32.00 charged to your credit card. If you are ordering 2 copies, the charge is $40 + $12 = $52 total charged to your card.

Fax ordering:

Birth Certificate Fax Order form (PDF)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FAX ORDERS: Print out the form, fill in the blanks including your credit card information and fax in the form to 206-622-0868. All credit card orders are processed within 2-3 days and then sent by regular mail. The option for UPS (next-day delivery) is an additional $20.00.

UPS overnight delivery requires a signature when delivered. No UPS delivery to PO boxes.

What to expect on your credit card bill using VitalChek services:

The base fee for birth and death records is $20.00 each.
A fee of $12.00 is added per order (for any quantity of records in the order) for priority handling so if you are ordering one birth certificate at $20 + $12 handling fee, you can expect a total of $32.00 charged to your credit card. If you are ordering 2 copies, the charge is $40 + $12 = $52 total charged to your card.
On the fax order form are two boxes for you to select a shipping method either by express delivery (using UPS) or by regular mail. If you choose express delivery, an additional charge of $20.00 is added to your credit card bill. There is no extra charge for regular mail delivery.

Ordering in person:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORDERING IN PERSON: Visit the Vital Statistics Office located at: King County Administration Building, Room 214, 500 - 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104 (cross street is James St.) Click here to view map and generate driving directions. Paid parking lots nearby and metered street parking are available.

After filling out the order form, your average wait time to receive your birth record order is 15-20 minutes. The Vital Statistics Office is open Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Taking the bus? Use Metro's Trip Planner to determine which bus route(s) nearest you will take you to the Vital Statistics Office in Downtown Seattle.

Community Transit: 353-7433 or 1-800-562-1375
TTY users: 778-2188

Note: Because payment is involved, orders cannot be performed by email.

Death certificate ordering instructions

Certified death records can be obtained for:

All persons who died in Seattle city limits (all years) or King County (1944 forward) only.
For records of deaths outside of King County, contact the Washington State Center for Health Statistics at (360) 236-4300 or visit their website at: www.doh.wa.gov/EHSPHL/CHS/cert.htm.

The following information is needed in order to conduct a search for a death record:

1. Full name of deceased (First, Middle, Last)

2. Date of death (or 10 year period to search)

3. Place of death (City)

To help ensure the correct record is found, please also provide the following identifying information, if known:

1. Age of deceased

2. Marital status; spouse's name, if married

3. Birthplace

4. Parents' names

5. Last known address

6. Name of funeral home

How much does a death certificate cost?:

$20.00 each (cash, check, money orders.) Make checks payable to: Vital Statistics. For credit card processing, please see instructions below under methods for ordering.
Any time a record is searched for and is not found, an $8.00 search fee is charged per the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 70.58.107).

4 different methods to order a death certificate:

Mail-in ordering (choose format below):

In Spanish/en Español:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAIL-IN ORDERS: Print out the form, write in your information, and mail it to the address provided on the form. You can expect your death certificate order in approximately 2-3 weeks when choosing the mail-in method.

Online ordering using a credit card:

Visit the VitalChek website then follow the instructions on the site. All credit card orders are processed within 2-3 days and then sent by regular mail.

UPS overnight (the option for UPS (next-day delivery) is an additional $20.00) delivery requires a signature when delivered. No UPS delivery to PO boxes.

What to expect on your credit card bill using VitalChek services:

The base fee for birth and death records is $20.00 each.
A fee of $12.00 is added per order (for any quantity of records in the order) for expedited handling so if you are ordering one birth certificate at $20 + $12 handling fee, you can expect a total of $32.00 charged to your credit card. If you are ordering 2 copies, the charge is $40 + $12 = $52 total charged to your card.

Fax ordering:

Death Certificate Fax Order form (PDF)

INSTRUCTIONS FOR FAX ORDERS: Print out the form, fill in the blanks including your credit card information and fax the form to
206-622-0868. All credit card orders are processed within 2-3 days and then sent by regular mail. The option for UPS (next-day delivery) is an additional $20.00.

UPS overnight delivery requires a signature when delivered. No UPS delivery to PO boxes.

What to expect on your credit card bill using VitalChek services:

The base fee for birth and death records is $20.00 each.
A fee of $12.00 is added per order (for any quantity of records in the order) for priority handling so if you are ordering one birth certificate at $20 + $12 handling fee, you can expect a total of $32.00 charged to your credit card. If you are ordering 2 copies, the charge is $40 + $12 = $52 total charged to your card.
On the fax order form are two boxes for you to select a shipping method either by express delivery (using UPS) or by regular mail. If you choose express delivery, an additional charge of $20.00 is added to your credit card bill. There is no extra charge for regular mail delivery.

Ordering in person:

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ORDERING IN PERSON: Visit the Vital Statistics Office located at: King County Administration Building, Room 214, 500 - 4th Avenue (cross street is James St.), Downtown Seattle. Click here to view map and generate driving directions. Paid parking lots nearby and metered street parking are available.

After filling out the order form, your average wait time to receive your death record order is 15-20 minutes. The Vital Statistics Office is open Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Taking the bus? Use Metro's Trip Planner to determine which bus route(s) nearest you will take you to the Vital Statistics Office in Downtown Seattle.

Community Transit: 353-7433 or 1-800-562-1375
TTY users: 778-2188

Note: Because payment is involved, orders cannot be performed by email.