Florida, vital records
The Florida Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, issues birth, death, marriage and divorce records for events in Florida. County health departments issue birth and death certificates by mail or walk-in.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
Vital records
Births less than 125 years old are confidential and go only to the person named, parents, guardians or legal representatives. Order by mail, online or at a county health department.
Open official site Florida birth certificatesVital records
The Florida law on vital statistics, section by section, including the duties of the Department of Health and local registrars and the rules for issuing certified copies.
Open official site Florida Statutes, Chapter 382, Vital StatisticsVital records
National Center for Health Statistics links to every state and territory vital records office, with fees and mailing addresses. The federal government itself issues no certificates.
Open official site CDC, Where to Write for Vital RecordsVital records
National Center for Health Statistics data on births and deaths in the United States, such as leading causes of death and life tables. It publishes statistics, not copies of records.
Open official site CDC, National Vital Statistics SystemFederal
Social Security Administration form to apply for an original or replacement card or to correct your record. It generally asks for your birth certificate as proof of age.
Open official site SSA, Form SS-5, Social Security card applicationGuide
The Florida Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics issues a dissolution of marriage record, which it describes as an abstract of the information taken from the judgment, for dissolutions from June 6, 1927 to the present. By mail or walk in, the search fee is $5 for one calendar year and includes one certified copy if the record is found, additional copies are $4 each, each additional calendar year searched when the exact year is unknown is $2 up to $50, and a $10 rush fee is required for same day walk in service on records before 1970, while online orders through VitalChek cost $15 for the first certificate, rush fee included, plus a $7 processing fee. The Bureau states that the actual judgment may be obtained from the clerk of court in the county where the dissolution was granted, and only that clerk holds dissolutions before June 6, 1927 and the judgment's property and support terms. The ordering page is at floridahealth.gov.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Florida records on this site: Florida public records, Free Background Checks.
Straight answers
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No. The CDC is explicit: 'The Federal Government does not maintain files or indexes of these records.' Every U.S. vital record is kept by the state where the event occurred.
A certified copy has a raised seal and is accepted by SSA, passport offices, and courts. An informational copy is marked 'Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity' and cannot be used for legal ID.
It varies by state, but a mail order to a state vital records office is typically 4, 8 weeks. Walk-in county clerk requests can be same-day. Online orders through VitalChek add a separate processing time on top of the state's.
Most states limit certified copies to the registrant, immediate family, and legal representatives. Informational copies are generally available to anyone after a waiting period defined by state law.
You should have a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA, form FS-240). Replacements come from the U.S. Department of State, not from a state vital records office.
All states
Every state page lists that state's official vital record sources, each opened and verified.