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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Vital Records:
The Center for Health Statistics is responsible for issuing certified copies of vital records, including birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates for events that occurred in Oregon. The office has birth and death records dating from July, 1903; marriage records from 1906 and divorce certificates (not decrees) from 1925.
Download Vital Record Order Forms (as PDFs*)
How do I order a birth, death, marriage, divorce or declaration of domestic partnership certificate?
Who is eligible to order a birth certificate?
Who is eligible to order a death, marriage, divorce or domestic partnership certificate?
How much does a record cost?
How do I order an heirloom birth certificate?
How do I order a pre-adoption birth record?
How do I order a birth or death record from a county vital records office?
How do I order a birth/death record from another state?
How do I order a vital record from another country?
How do I get to the Oregon Vital Records Office?
How do I know if the copy I have of my birth certificate is a valid, legal document?
What should I know about ordering vital records on the Internet?
How do I get an authenticating document so an Oregon vital record is accepted outside the United States?
How do I order a Certificate of Stillbirth?
Related FAQs:
HOW DO I ORDER A BIRTH, DEATH, MARRIAGE, DIVORCE OR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP CERTIFICATE?
You may request a record by:
- Sending a request by mail: please include complete record information, return address and day time telephone number. Send your order to Oregon Vital Records, PO Box 14050, Portland, OR 97293-0050. Please allow up to three weeks for processing and delivery. The non-refundable fee for one copy is $20 and each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $15. Checks and money orders may be made payable to DHS Vital Records. To expedite processing and delivery of a record, please see Rush Ordering. Order forms are available.
- Ordering on the Internet: You may order a birth, death, marriage or divorce record directly on Vital Chek's web page at www.VitalChek.com. You may enter information directly, or create a fax order form to send to (503) 234-8417. In either case, the order must include complete record information and be billed to a credit card. The non-refundable fee for one copy is $32.50 and includes a $12.50 quick processing fee. Orders are mailed either the same day or the next working day by regular mail unless record problems are discovered. (For same day processing the internet order must be entered prior to 10:30 a.m., PST). For information on expedited delivery options, see Rush Ordering. If you placed an order using another company on the Internet, please see Ordering Vital Records on the Internet.
- Sending a fax request: You may send a fax directly to: (503) 234-8417. Please include complete record information, your return address, credit card number, expiration date, and daytime telephone number. The non-refundable fee is $32.50 for the first record. This fee includes a $12.50 quick service fee. Orders are mailed either the same day or the next working day by regular mail unless record problems are discovered. (For same day processing fax must be received prior to 10:00 a.m., PST). For information on expedited delivery options, please see Rush Ordering. A FAX order form is available on www.vitalchek.com
- Ordering by telephone: (971) 673-1190, call Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., PST. The non-refundable fee is $32.50 for the first record. This fee includes a $12.50 quick service fee. Records are mailed either the same day or the next working day by regular mail unless record problems are discovered. (For same day processing telephone orders must be received prior to 11:00 a.m., PST). For information on expedited delivery options, see Rush Ordering.
- Coming in person to the Vital Records office in Portland, at 800 NE Oregon Street, Room 205, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. Please plan on placing orders by 4:30 p.m. to allow 10-15 minutes for processing. Identification such as a current driver's license or I.D. card will be required for all record orders. If you do not have current ID, records may be mailed after additional screening unless a record problem is discovered. Please be sure that the person who comes to the office to order the record is eligible to have it. The non-refundable fee is $20 and every additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time is $15.
RUSH ORDERING
- Mail Orders: To speed processing, send your request by any overnight delivery service to Oregon Vital Records, 800 NE Oregon Street, Suite 205, Portland OR 97232. Orders received by priority mail or overnight delivery are usually sent out by regular mail either the same day or the next working day assuming no record problems are discovered. We may not be able to process your request if you are not eligible to order or the record event is so recent that we have not received the record. If you need the order to be returned by overnight delivery, please enclose a pre-addressed, prepaid overnight delivery envelope. If your request is for a birth certificate, you must include a photocopy of your driver's license or official ID to have the record delivered by an overnight delivery company or mailed to a care/of address. If your ID does not have your current address on it, please include a recent utility bill or other official document with your current mailing address.
- Fax, Internet and Telephone Orders: The non-refundable $32.50 credit card fee for one record covers rush processing and shipping by regular mail the same day or the next working day unless a record problem is discovered. Overnight delivery by UPS or U.S. Postal Services is optional for an additional fee that will vary by vendor, delivery time and date, and place. Fees for delivery outside the continental U.S. are higher. Delivery of a record using an overnight delivery service takes from two to five days. For example, an order placed Thursday could be processed and sent by UPS on Friday for delivery on Monday for weekday delivery in the continental U.S. for an additional $17.50. If you have questions regarding delivery times or costs, please call and talk to a Vital Records staff person at 971-673-1190. If your request is for a birth certificate, the person ordering must fax in a photocopy of a driver's license or official ID to have it delivered by an overnight delivery company or mailed to a care/of address.
SEND THE FOLLOWING BIRTH RECORD INFORMATION:
- Full name on birth record
- Date of birth
- Place of birth - city and/or county
- Father's full name
- Mother's full maiden name
- Your name, address and telephone number
- Your relationship to the person named on the record
- Copies of legal documents, if needed, to prove legal guardianship, authority from power of attorney. If you are not an immediate family member, send a permission note with a notarized signature of an immediate family member.
- Photocopy of a valid driver's license or official I.D. for the person ordering if the birth record must be mailed to a care/of address or if the record will be delivered by an overnight delivery service. If you are faxing the photocopy of your ID, please enlarge and lighten it to make it legible. Faxing documents tends to darken them.
SEND THE FOLLOWING DEATH, MARRIAGE, DIVORCE OR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP RECORD INFORMATION:
- Full name of person listed on the record
- Spouse or Domestic Partner's Name (if applicable)
- Date of death, marriage, divorce or filing of certificate of domestic partnership
- Place of death, county which issued marriage license or filed domestic partnership, or county granting divorce
- Your name and relationship to the person on the record, or
- Your reason for needing the record
Note: If the death, marriage, divorce record, or certificate of domestic partnership you need is for a recent event (two to four weeks for death and six to eight weeks for marriage and divorce), it may not yet be available from our office. You may need to order the death record from the local county vital records office, the marriage or domestic partnership record from the local county clerk's office, or the divorce decree from the county court that granted the divorce. If you place an order with our office, the order will be held until the record is received and the certificate can be issued.
Non certified copies of death records more than 50 years old are available from the Oregon State Archives, 800 Summer Street NE, Salem, Oregon 97310 (503-373-0701) for a small fee. You may review the records at the library.
Marriage records, including some records prior to 1906, may be requested from the county marriage office which issued the license. A few county marriage offices have sent their oldest marriage records to the Oregon State Archives.
Divorce decrees, both certified and uncertified are available from the county court that granted the divorce. The State Vital Records office issues a summary document called a divorce certificate. A divorce certificate does not have all the information contained in the decree but may be used as proof of divorce. In some cases, courts approve divorce orders but the certificates are not completed or filed. If you order a missing divorce certificate, issuance will be delayed until court staff create the certificate and file it.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ORDER A BIRTH CERTIFICATE?
Access to birth records is restricted for 100 years to the registrant, immediate family members, the registrant's legal domestic partner and legal representatives (includes legal guardians or persons with power of attorney), and persons licensed in Oregon under ORS 703.430. Government agencies may order if the records are needed in the course of their work or to prevent fraud. When ordering a birth certificate, you must state your relationship to the person on the record; if you are an attorney, you must state whom you represent. If you do not legally represent the registrant, include how your client is related to the person on the record. If you are a legal guardian or have power of attorney, you must enclose a copy of the legal document. If you are not eligible to order the record, please include a permission note with the notarized signature of an eligible person.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO ORDER A DEATH, MARRIAGE, DIVORCE OR DOMESTIC PARTNERSHIP REGISTRATION CERTIFICATE
Access to death, marriage, divorce and domestic partnership records filed in the State Vital Records office is restricted for 50 years after the date of the event to family members and their legal representatives, persons or organizations with a personal or property right, government agencies and persons licensed in Oregon under ORS 703.430. When ordering a death, marriage, divorce or domestic partnership record, you must state your relationship to the registrant, or your reason for needing the record. If you are a legal representative of a family member, include whom you represent and how they are related to the person named on the record. If you have a personal or property right, explain why you need the record. If you are not eligible to order the record, please include a permission note with the notarized signature of an eligible person.
HOW MUCH DOES A RECORD COST?
- The non-refundable fee for the first copy of a certificate is $20; each additional copy ordered at the same time is $15. Fees for additional copies will be refunded if no record can be found. Payment should be made to DHS/Vital Records.
- Orders requested by fax, telephone, Internet or mail and billed to credit cards will be charged a non-refundable fee of $32.50 for the first record. Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $15; a non-certified fax copy can be sent for an additional fee of $15.
- If you are paying by credit card, you may request overnight delivery by Federal Express, UPS or US Postal Service. Fees vary depending on vendor, date, time and location of delivery. Please see Rush Ordering for additional details.
- International customers should note that payment must be made in U.S. dollars and that only bank checks and money orders drawn on banks with branches in the United States are accepted.
- Check Processing Policy: A $25 penalty may be assessed for NSF (non-sufficient fund) checks per ORS 30.701 (5). In the event that your check is returned unpaid for insufficient or uncollected funds, we may present your check electronically. In the ordinary course of business, your check will not be provided to you with your bank statement but a copy can be retrieved by other means.
Why does a record search and certified copy cost $20?
Oregon has chosen to fund its Center for Health Statistics with fees. Fees for records cover approximately 80 percent of the cost of staff and systems to:
- register approximately 136,000 birth, death, fetal death, marriage, and divorce records that are filed each year;
- continue to collect and analyze data to produce quality reports for use by public and private agencies;
- continue to maintain more than five million vital records filed since 1903 and develop improved registration, storage, data analysis, retrieval, issuance and archiving systems for the future;
- process requests for records and data quickly and accurately while maintaining or improving security measures to prevent fraud and identity theft;
- complete and track all changes to vital records to add missing data, correct errors, and complete amendments according to laws related to adoption, establishing paternity, court ordered changes and delayed and court registration of records.
The remaining twenty percent of the budget for the Oregon Center for Health Statistics is funded through contracts and grants.
HOW DO I ORDER AN HEIRLOOM BIRTH CERTIFICATE?
 A 9" x 20" heirloom certificate is available with birth data entered with calligraphy and with the signature of the Governor of Oregon and the State Registrar.
Heirloom birth records are certified documents suitable for framing. The price is $45 with $15 tax deductible since it supports the Children's Trust Fund, an agency dedicated to preventing child abuse.
When ordering, please provide the following information:
- Full name of child
- Date of birth
- Place of birth (city/county)
- Father's full name
- Mother's full maiden name
- Name of person ordering record
- Your relationship to the child named on the record
- Your day time telephone number
Download heirloom order form. (pdf)
The heirloom birth certificate must be mailed directly to the child or his/her parents if you are not an immediate family member. Please provide the address of the child or his parents if the record must be mailed directly. Checks and money orders may be made payable to DHS Vital Records. Orders should be mailed to Vital Records, PO Box 14050, Portland, OR 97293-0050.
HOW DO I ORDER A BIRTH OR DEATH RECORD FROM A COUNTY VITAL RECORDS OFFICE?
Most county vital records offices in Oregon issue birth and death records for six months following the date of the event. You will find vital records offices in your county health department or your county clerk's office. To locate an Oregon county vital records office, please see the Oregon County Health Department Directory.
HOW DO I ORDER A VITAL RECORD FROM ANOTHER STATE?
Order Information for other states is available from www.VitalChek.com including
- Addresses for State Vital Record Offices
- Phone numbers for Vital Record Offices
- Fax numbers for Vital Record Offices and FAX Form to use in ordering
- Links to other state and county Vital Record Websites
HOW DO I ORDER A VITAL RECORD FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY?
If you were born in another country to parents who are U.S. citizens, or if a U.S. citizen died or was married abroad prior to 1987, you may obtain consular reports documenting these events from the U.S. Department of State. For ordering information select "Vital Record Services" on the Bureau of Consular Affairs website: http://travel.state.gov
The Bureau of Consular Affairs website also provides address lists of foreign consular offices in the United States. These offices may provide help if you are not a U.S. citizen and need assistance in ordering a vital record from another country.
HOW DO I KNOW IF THE COPY I HAVE OF MY BIRTH CERTIFICATE IS A VALID, LEGAL DOCUMENT?
All new certified copies of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates issued by the Oregon Vital Records Office are printed on intaglio banknote paper with the seal of the State of Oregon in the lower left corner and the seal of the Oregon Health Services in the lower right corner. The border should have a perceptible "rough" feel to it. Any erasures or additions to the record invalidate it. The paper has latent images in the upper right and left circles. When the paper is held at eye level and tilted slightly, a "V" is visible in the left circle and an "R" in the right. Because any document that has been photocopied could be altered and then recopied to disguise the changes, a copy you make on plain paper will not be accepted by state and federal agencies as a legal document.
In the past certified copies have been made on a wide variety of paper types. All of the older types of certified copies can be identified by the raised, notary type seal. If you have a photocopy and cannot feel the raised seal, most agencies will not accept it as a certified copy since they cannot tell whether the document has been altered.
ORDERING VITAL RECORDS ON THE INTERNET
The Oregon Vital Records Office uses VitalChek Network at www.vitalchek.com as a third party vendor to accept mail, phone, fax and internet orders billed to credit cards. VitalChek receives $7.00 of the additional $12.50 service fee charged for each credit card order for the services and equipment they provide. If you use another vendor on the Internet, you will pay an additional fee to that vendor without receiving any additional services. Other vendors may provide an order form only, fax an order form on your behalf to our office, or enter it directly at the VitalChek website. The Oregon Vital Records office has no control over what services and fees other Internet vendors offer and charge, nor can we guarantee the confidentiality of any vital record data provided to vendors other than VitalChek. If you believe an Internet vendor's website provides inaccurate information about services or fees, you may report the problem to a consumer protection agency in your state.
HOW DO I GET AN AUTHENTICATING DOCUMENT SO AN OREGON VITAL RECORD IS ACCEPTED OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES?
The Oregon Secretary of State issues certificates required by many countries to prove the validity of Oregon birth, death, marriage and divorce records. To get a certifying document, you may need a vital record issued by the Oregon Center for Health Statistics, rather than a county. Ordering information: Oregon Secretary of State/Corporate Division.
HOW DO I ORDER A CERTIFICATE OF STILLBIRTH?
Certificates of Stillbirth are available to the biological parents when a fetal death record is on file for a stillbirth that occurred after January 1, 1999. This is a memento certificate, not a legal record. Currently there is no fee for this certificate. Stillborn Certificate Order Form (pdf).
Download Vital Record Order Forms
PDF Files (pdf)
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A 9" x 20" heirloom certificate is available with birth data entered with calligraphy and with the signature of the Governor of Oregon and the State Registrar. 