Minnesota, vital records
The Minnesota Department of Health, Office of Vital Records, issues birth certificates from 1900 on and death certificates from 1908 on. Marriage certificates come from the county and divorce decrees from the district court.
Start here
Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record. Use the category buttons to narrow the list.
Vital records
How to amend a Minnesota birth record to correct an error or change an item, with the request form and the supporting documents MDH requires.
Open official site Change a Minnesota birth recordVital records
MDH holds Minnesota births since 1900 and deaths since 1908 and issues certified and noncertified copies by mail, by fax or through county offices.
Open official site Minnesota vital records and certificatesVital records
MDH directory of every county vital records office, with addresses and the year each county's birth and death records begin. In person county service is fastest.
Open official site Minnesota county vital records officesVital records
Every change to a Minnesota death record needs a formal request, a supporting document and time for MDH review, with the forms for each kind of change.
Open official site Change a Minnesota death recordVital records
The records MDH offers, from certified and noncertified birth and death copies to free certificates for homeless youth and veterans claims.
Open official site Minnesota available records and servicesVital records
After an adoption the birth record shows the new name and parents, and the original record is sealed and released only as Minnesota law allows.
Open official site Minnesota birth records and adoptionVital records
How a father is added to a Minnesota birth record, through a recognition of parentage or a court adjudication, and how to get a copy of the court order.
Open official site Minnesota birth records and parentageState records
Search of Minnesota birth, death and state census records, veterans graves registrations and World War I records held by the society's library and archives.
Open official site Minnesota Historical Society, people records searchVital records
Index of Minnesota death certificates held by the Minnesota Historical Society, searchable by name, with help for certificates that do not appear.
Open official site Minnesota Historical Society, death certificates indexVital records
The Minnesota law on access to vital records: which information is public, which is confidential, and who may receive certified copies.
Open official site Minnesota Statutes, section 144.225Vital 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 SystemEverything else, organized
1 more Minnesota source not listed above.
Guide
Minnesota issues no state divorce certificate. The Minnesota Department of Health states that it does not record marriages or divorces. A divorce decree, with its property division and support terms, is obtained from the county district court office that granted the divorce, at $14 for a certified copy and no fee for an uncertified copy under Minn. Stat. 357.021. The Department's statement is at health.state.mn.us.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Minnesota records on this site: Minnesota 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.