Ohio, vital records
The Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, issues birth certificates from December 20, 1908 and death certificates from 1971 on. Marriage records come from the county probate court and divorce records from the county clerk of courts.
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Vital records
Mail the application with a check or money order to the Ohio Department of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics, PO Box 15098, Columbus. Do not send cash.
Open official site How to order Ohio birth and death certificatesVital records
State office holding Ohio birth records from December 20, 1908 and death records from 1971 on, with fetal death, stillbirth and heirloom birth certificates.
Open official site Ohio Department of Health, Vital StatisticsCourt records
Supreme Court of Ohio list of each county's common pleas, probate and domestic relations courts, where Ohio marriage and divorce records are kept.
Open official site Ohio trial courts, Supreme Court of OhioVital records
Library of Congress timeline for Ohio records: probate courts kept births and deaths from 1867 to 1908, state birth records start in 1908, and probate courts keep marriage records.
Open official site Library of Congress, Ohio vital records guideVital records
Searchable index of Ohio death certificates from 1908 to 1963 statewide and 1904 to 1908 for Columbus, held by the Ohio History Connection Archives and Library.
Open official site Ohio History Connection, death record indexVital records
Ohio's vital statistics law, covering registration of births and deaths, certified copies, corrections and the duties of local registrars.
Open official site Ohio Revised Code, Chapter 3705Vital 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
Ohio has no state divorce certificate. The Ohio Department of Health Bureau of Vital Statistics states that marriage and divorce records are not maintained by the Bureau and that divorce decrees are requested from the county where the divorce was finalized, which means the Clerk of Courts of the Court of Common Pleas. The decree carries the property and support terms, and the sworn Affidavits 1 and 2 behind it are confidential under Sup.R. 11.09(C)(2)(h), formerly Sup.R. 44(C)(2)(h). The Bureau's page is at odh.ohio.gov.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Ohio records on this site: Ohio 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.