Georgia, vital records
The Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records, issues birth and death certificates and marriage records from 1952 to 1996. Other marriages are at the county probate court and divorces at the superior court.
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Vital records
How to request a Georgia birth certificate online or at a vital records office. Newborn certificates are not mailed to parents automatically and must be requested.
Open official site Georgia birth recordsVital records
Death certificates go to people with a direct and tangible interest, such as close family or legal representatives. Mail requests to the state office take 8 to 10 weeks.
Open official site Georgia death recordsVital records
The state office holds marriage applications and certificates from June 1952 to August 1996. Other years are at the probate office of the county that issued the license.
Open official site Georgia marriage recordsVital records
State guide to where each record is kept. Divorce records come only from the superior court in the county where the divorce was granted.
Open official site Georgia.gov, request vital recordsVital records
The Department of Public Health office that registers, amends and certifies Georgia vital events, with office locations, online and mail ordering and fees.
Open official site Georgia State Office of Vital RecordsState agencies
The state archives in Morrow, collecting Georgia historical records since 1918, with research rooms and collections used for family history.
Open official site Georgia ArchivesVital 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 Georgia Department of Public Health, State Office of Vital Records, can confirm that a divorce occurred but does not issue copies of divorce records. The state's own guidance says any request for divorce records must go through the superior court, because copies are held by the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted. For the decree, the property division or a certified copy, that clerk is the only source. The state guidance is at georgia.gov, request vital records.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Georgia records on this site: Georgia public records, Free Background Checks.
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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.