Missouri, vital records
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records, issues birth and death certificates and marriage and divorce statements. Local public health agencies offer walk-in service at 115 locations.
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Vital records
DHSS office at 930 Wildwood Drive in Jefferson City that keeps Missouri vital records, with lobby service by appointment and phone support on weekdays.
Open official site Missouri Bureau of Vital RecordsVital records
Missouri records go only to people with a direct and tangible interest. The page lists each application, the search fees and the 115 local walk-in offices.
Open official site Order a copy of a Missouri vital recordVital records
Some changes to a Missouri record need only a correction affidavit and documents; others, such as a legal name change, need a court order.
Open official site Correct or amend a Missouri vital recordVital records
Login system that registrars, hospitals and funeral directors use to file Missouri birth certificates, death certificates and fetal death reports. Copies are not ordered here.
Open official site MoEVR, Missouri electronic vital recordsVital records
Digitized Missouri death certificates from 1910 to 1975, more than 2.5 million, moved to the State Archives once they are 50 years old.
Open official site Missouri State Archives, death certificatesVital records
Missouri's vital statistics law, section by section, covering registration of births and deaths, certified copies, amendments and who may receive records.
Open official site Revised Statutes of Missouri, Chapter 193Vital 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 Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Bureau of Vital Records, keeps a central registry of Missouri marriages and divorces since July 1, 1948 and issues a Statement of Marriage or Divorce from it for $15. The statement confirms the event; the decree with its property division and support terms is a court record, and certified copies come from the circuit clerk of the county where the divorce was granted. The Bureau's vital records page is at health.mo.gov and its fee notice at notice of fees.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Missouri records on this site: Missouri 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.