New Jersey, vital records
The New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, issues birth, death, marriage, civil union and domestic partnership records. Local registrars issue them too, and divorce decrees come from the Superior Court.
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Every card below goes to the government office responsible for that record.
Vital records
Department of Health office that registers New Jersey vital events. The State Archives holds births through 1924 and marriages and deaths through 1950.
Open official site New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics and RegistryVital records
Department of Health answers on who may get New Jersey records, for example when a stepparent may obtain a certified copy of a stepchild's birth certificate.
Open official site New Jersey vital records questionsVital records
Choose between a certified copy, which can establish identity, and a certification, then see how to order from the state office.
Open official site Order a New Jersey vital recordVital records
The state charges $25 for the first copy and $2 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. Marriage and civil union license applications are $28.
Open official site New Jersey vital records feesVital records
State forms in English and Spanish for ordering New Jersey vital records, including genealogical copies and a no record of marriage statement.
Open official site New Jersey forms for ordering a vital recordVital records
How to apply for a New Jersey marriage license. The application costs $28, and only one license is granted from each application.
Open official site New Jersey marriage licensesVital records
How to apply for a New Jersey civil union license. The application costs $28, and a new application is needed if the license expires unused.
Open official site New Jersey civil union licensesVital records
How New Jersey domestic partnerships are registered and how to get a certified copy of the Certificate of Domestic Partnership as proof of the partnership.
Open official site New Jersey domestic partnershipsVital records
Copies of older New Jersey records for family history. The state charges $25 for the first copy and $1 for each extra year searched on genealogy requests.
Open official site New Jersey genealogical recordsVital records
Who may get certified copies of recent New Jersey records, and the ID and notarized release a helper needs to request one for an eligible person.
Open official site New Jersey non-genealogical recordsEverything else, organized
1 more New Jersey source not listed above.
Guide
New Jersey has no state divorce certificate. The Office of Vital Statistics and Registry in the Department of Health does not hold divorce records, and its page states that New Jersey divorce decrees are available through the Superior Court of New Jersey Records Center, which can be reached at 609-421-6100. The judgment of divorce is public under Rule 1:38, while the settlement agreement incorporated into it and the Case Information Statement behind it are excluded from public access under Rule 1:38-3(d)(1). The Department's page is at nj.gov/health.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More New Jersey records on this site: New Jersey 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.