Washington, vital records
The Washington State Department of Health, Center for Health Statistics, issues certified birth, death, stillbirth, marriage and divorce certificates for events in Washington. Many local health departments also issue certificates.
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Vital records
Department of Health guide to ordering Washington certificates, with processing times by order and shipping method and a pointer to local health departments with in person service.
Open official site Ordering a Washington vital recordState agencies
Washington State Archives online collections, searchable by name, including historical birth, death, marriage and divorce records, census and cemetery records.
Open official site Washington State Digital ArchivesCourt records
Washington Courts list of county superior court websites. Divorce cases are filed in the superior court of each county, whose clerk keeps the decree.
Open official site Washington superior courtsState agencies
Washington State Library research guide to cemetery and funeral home records for genealogy, with pointers to collections in the State Digital Archives.
Open official site Washington State Library, cemetery and funeral home 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 SystemVital records
The Department of Health issues certified copies for births, deaths, stillbirths, fetal deaths, marriages and divorces that took place in Washington, ordered by record type.
Open official site Washington State Department of Health, Vital RecordsFederal
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 Washington State Department of Health Center for Health Statistics issues marriage and divorce records, ordered online, by phone or by mail, and those records confirm the dissolution. The decree, called the Final Divorce Order, with its division of property and debt and its support terms, is a superior court record kept by the County Clerk under RCW 36.23.030 and obtained from that office, where it is public under General Rule 22(c)(1). The Department's vital records page is at doh.wa.gov.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More Washington records on this site: Washington 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.