How to Get Free Birth Records
Each county in the U.S. maintains records of births and deaths that occur within its geographic limits. The county's clerk/recorder or registrar's office usually processes this information. You can order a copy of anyone's birth certificate from the county in which he was born, but most counties charge a fee for this service. In Sacramento County, Calif., birth-certificate copies cost $19 each. If you don't need a copy of the birth certificate, you can search for his birth records for free.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Make a list of all of the information that you have for the person whose birth records you want. You may need his full name, date of birth, name of the hospital or place where he was born, his biological parents' names and his Social Security number to aid you in your search. The more information you have, the better chance you will have of finding his records.
-
2
Call or visit the hospital where he was born. The hospital may maintain records of babies who were born there. Ask if you can access patient records or have someone assist you in determining whether he was born at the facility. Search for his mother's name, as he may not have been named immediately after birth. His mother's name should be in patient records if she was admitted to the hospital.
-
-
3
Use a birth-records Web site to search for specific information related to his birth. Several sites, such as birthrecords.com and freebirthrecords.net, search databases of public information to find a person's date of birth and other personal information. These specialized sites search vital records, such as birth, marriage and death certificates, as well as other public information, such as legal records, property-ownership records and driver registration records and may help you access the information you want without your having to call or visit the source of each of these documents on your own.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you are searching for a family member's birth records, ask other family members if they have any pertinent information to help you in your search. A distant cousin or aunt may know more about the circumstances of an older family member's birth. The more information you can gather, the better chance you will have of locating the records you want.
Genealogy sites, such as ancestry.com, may help you find information on a relative who died a long time ago. Ancestry.com offers a 14-day free trial for its services to new members.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit the newborn image by Sergey Galushko from Fotolia.com
