Getting Copies of Genealogical Records
Birth, Death, and Marriage

Identifying the genealogical record: You must be able to identify the record by providing, at minimum, the information listed below on the application form. You may also provide more exact or complete information, if you wish.  However, your request cannot be accepted unless you provide the minimum information below.

• Full name on the record
• City or county where the event occurred
• Year the event occurred

Acceptable Identification: You must provide acceptable ID in order to get a copy of any vital record.  The following are acceptable forms of ID:

• A current, valid photo driver's license or photo non-driver's license
  OR
• A current, valid driver’s license without photo and one alternate form of ID with current address
  OR
• Two alternate forms of ID, one of which must have current address.

Alternate forms of ID are:

• Vehicle registration
• Vehicle insurance card
• Passport
• Voter registration
• Green card/Immigrant visa
• Federal/County ID
• School ID
• Court documents
• W-2 for current/previous tax year
• Utility/bank statement from within the last 90 days

Please do not send in original ID documents. Only copies are required.

Proof of Relationship: Proof of relationship is not required if you are asking for a certification, which is an uncertified informational copy of the vital record not valid for establishing identity or legal purposes.  However, you must still provide proof of identity when requesting a certification.

To get a certified copy of a person’s genealogical vital record, you must provide proof of your relationship to the person listed on the record and the proof must establish you are one of the following:

• The subject of the record
• The subject’s parent, legal guardian or legal representative
• The subject’s spouse/civil union partner; child, grandchild or sibling, if of legal age
• A state or federal agency for official purposes
• Pursuant to court order

See the How to Prove Relationship tips at the bottom of this page for information on how to prove your relationship. This is a key requirement to getting a certified copy of a vital record. Failure to provide proof of relationship is the number one reason applications must be rejected.

Payment of fees: Fees for copies of vital records issued by the Local Registrar’s Office vary by municipality. Please contact the specific office to learn more.

The State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration charges $25 for the first copy of a vital record and $2 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Additional years can be searched for genealogical applications at a fee of $1 for each additional year searched.

Applications mailed to the State may be paid by check or money order made payable to: “Treasurer, State of New Jersey.”  Applications made to the municipal office should be made payable to the municipality. We cannot accept credit card payment by mail.  Also, please do not send cash through the mail.  Our authorized vendor, VitalChek, can accept credit cards. Please see the following information about submitting your application. 

There are several ways to get a copy of a vital record:

• Expedited Service -- Mail, Phone, Fax or Internet Orders: Use our vendor VitalChek. Your document will be shipped faster than if you apply in writing to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration.  Once your order is received by VitalChek it is usually processed and your documents returned within 25 business days. There is an additional $10.95 processing fee for this service, and you will need a credit card, check or money order to place your order. You can go directly to the VitalChek web site now to place your order.  The website will walk you through the process.  You will not have to return to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration web page.



• Non-expedited Service -- Mail Orders Only: Genealogical records by mail from the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration are typically processed within 14 to 16 weeks. You can mail your completed "Application for a Certification or Certified Copy of a Vital Record" (Birth, Marriage, Civil Union, Domestic Partnership, or Death Certificate) [pdf 54k*] [doc 47k] to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration or to the Local Registrar in the city or town where the vital event took place. The records you requested can only be sent to the address listed on your identification documents.



• For a Local Registrar, call the Registrar’s office first for information on processing times and fees. (This service is currently not available in Jersey City for births.  You must order Jersey City birth records from the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration.)
  
  
• For the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration, mail to:
  
  Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration
  Customer Service Unit – Non-Genealogical Requests
  PO Box 370
  Trenton, NJ 08625-0370
  

Regardless of the where you place your order you will have to send with your application:

• all required copies of ID establishing your identity
• copies of documents proving your relationship to the person named on the record and
• the correct fee.

Your application will be returned if you do not send in all required information.

If you are requesting a certification -- which is an informational copy of a vital record not valid for legal purposes – you do not need to provide proof of relationship.

If you are requesting a certified copy of……

......your parent’s or sibling’s vital record...... you must provide a copy of your birth certificate to show you are the child or sibling of the person whose record you are requesting.

......your grandparent’s vital record ...... you must establish that you are the person’s grandchild by linking the name on your ID to the name of the grandparent.  For example, if you changed your last name after marriage/civil union and want a grandparent’s vital record, you must: 1.) Provide your marriage/civil union certificate to show your name at birth, 2.) provide your birth certificate to identify your parent, and 3.) provide the parent’s birth certificate to identify the grandparent.

If you are not a person qualified to get a certified copy of a record......

......but you are helping a person eligible to receive a vital record obtain a copy of a record they are eligible to receive......you must show your valid ID and a notarized, written release authorizing you to get the record on that person’s behalf OR, you can supply a written release from the person you are helping along with a copy of that person’s valid photo ID.

Visit the Frequently Asked Questions page for more information.