Illinois, vital records
The Illinois Department of Public Health, Division of Vital Records, issues birth and death certificates. Certified marriage and divorce records come from the county clerk and the circuit court clerk in the county where they took place.
Start here
Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
Vital records
Illinois birth records are not public. Certified copies go to the person named, parents and legal representatives, and mail requests take about 12 weeks.
Open official site Illinois birth recordsVital records
Certified death certificates for legal uses and uncertified copies for genealogy. A requester who is not a relative needs a letter from the agency asking for it.
Open official site Illinois death recordsVital records
The state does not keep marriage records. Certified copies come from the county clerk where the marriage took place; the state can verify marriages from 1962 on.
Open official site Illinois marriage recordsVital records
The state issues no certified divorce copies. They come from the circuit court clerk in the county that granted the divorce; the state can verify divorces from 1962 on.
Open official site Illinois divorce recordsVital records
Uncertified genealogy copies of births at least 75 years old and of deaths more than 20 years old, but not before 1916, from the state or the county clerk.
Open official site Illinois genealogy recordsVital records
State page for birth, death, marriage, civil union, divorce, adoption and genealogy records. Requests go by mail and take about 12 weeks to process.
Open official site Illinois Division of Vital RecordsVital 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 Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Vital Records keeps a statewide index of dissolutions of marriage from January 1, 1962, and of civil union dissolutions from January 1, 2012, and issues only a verification of the facts of a dissolution for a $5 fee under 410 ILCS 530/3; it does not issue certified copies. The Department states that certified copies can only be obtained by writing to the circuit clerk where the dissolution of marriage or civil union was granted, and that judgment carries the property and support terms. The verification form is at dph.illinois.gov.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Illinois records on this site: Illinois public records, Free Background Checks.
Straight answers
Open only the answer you need.
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.