How to Obtain Vital Records
Vital records for U.S. citizens such as birth certificates, death certificates, divorce decrees, etc., that were issued while in the U.S. are generally obtainable only from the U.S. State in which they were originally issued. The Consulate has no access to these documents and cannot order them for you. In the U.S., state, county or city governments, depending on location, usually hold such records.
More information about obtaining vital records in the U.S., such as birth certificates.
Fee-based on-line services that help obtain records:
- One such service is VitalChek (800-255-2414), which allows you to request birth, death, and marriage certifications online, by phone, or by fax.
- Another service called usbirthcertificate.net can help you obtain or amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, in addition to obtaining a birth certificate. You must have a physical street address to use this service (no APO's, FPO's, or PO Boxes). Note: For your U.S. document to be accepted by local authorities, for example if you plan to get married, they also require that you provide an Apostille.
More information and specific instructions on how to obtain the Apostille.
Documents that must be ordered from the State Department in Washington
The Consulate General keeps no copies of the documents we issue, such as Consular Reports of Birth Abroad. These documents are filed in Washington. We also do not keep any files of local civil documents, such as birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc., that may have been submitted to us. For information on obtaining the following, please click below:
- Consular Report of Birth Abroad, which is the document issued by the American Embassy or Consulate reflecting the facts of birth abroad of a child acquiring U.S. citizenship at birth through one or both parents.
- Report of Death of an American Citizen, which is the document issued by the American Embassy or Consulate reflecting the facts of death abroad of an American citizen.
Request one of these documents from the Department of State
Obtaining records issued by local Authorities
Records of birth, marriage and death are generally kept at the local vital records offices where the event occurred. The Consulate cannot translate these documents for you. The Consulate does not authenticate local documents.
To obtain official copies of local documents in the Netherlands Antilles or Aruba, you should contact one of the following Civil Registry offices:
Curaçao
Bureau Burgerlijke Stand en Bevolkingsregister “Kranshi”
Roodeweg #42
tel:+(599-9)434-1600 fax: +(599-9)461-8166
Bonaire
Bevolkingsregister
Tel: +(599)717-5330 ext. 528 Fax: +(599)717-5258
Aruba
Bureau Burgelijkestand Stand en Bevolkingsregister
Shoolstraat #2
Tel: +(297)583-4400 Fax: +(297)583-9160
St. Maarten
Burgelijke Stand, Bevolking & Verkiezingen
Soualiga Road
Tel: +(599)542-3913 Fax: +(599)542-4267
Saba
Burgelijke Stand Saba
Tel: +(599)416-3497
St. Eustatius
Census Office
Princess Street
Tel: +(599)318-2497 Fax: +(599)318-2963