West Virginia, vital records
The West Virginia Health Statistics Center, Vital Registration Office, issues birth and death certificates from 1917 on and marriage certificates from 1964 on, with same day walk-in service in Charleston. The county where a record was filed can issue copies too.
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 order certified West Virginia vital records, fastest in person for same day service at the Vital Registration Office, 350 Capitol Street in Charleston.
Open official site West Virginia certificate requestsVital records
The Vital Registration Office holds births and deaths from 1917, delayed birth records from about 1850, marriage indexes from 1924 and marriage records from 1964.
Open official site West Virginia vital records for genealogyVital records
West Virginia Archives and History project that puts birth, death and marriage certificates online, with scanned images of the original records to search and view.
Open official site West Virginia Archives, Vital Research RecordsVital records
Search and view scanned West Virginia death records from the Archives. Certified copies come only from the issuing county or the Vital Registration Office.
Open official site West Virginia Vital Research Records, death searchVital records
Search and view scanned West Virginia marriage records from the Archives. Certified copies come only from the issuing county or the Vital Registration Office.
Open official site West Virginia Vital Research Records, marriage searchVital records
Forms to request state certified copies of West Virginia birth, stillbirth, death and marriage certificates, and to let a third party order for you.
Open official site West Virginia certificate request formsCourt records
West Virginia Judiciary page on the family courts, whose 48 judges in 27 circuits hear divorce, annulment, separate maintenance, paternity and family support cases.
Open official site West Virginia family courtsVital 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
National Archives guide explaining that birth, death, marriage and divorce records are made by local authorities and are not federal records, so it sends researchers to the CDC state list.
Open official site National Archives, vital records research guideFederal
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
West Virginia has no state divorce certificate. The Vital Registration Office of the Health Statistics Center states that it issues certified copies of birth, death, fetal death and marriage certificates, and although it processes about 9,000 divorce reports a year it offers no divorce certificate. The final divorce order is a Family Court record stored by the Circuit Clerk of the county, and under Family Court Rule 6(a) it is a public record as an order even though the rest of the file is confidential. The Office's page is at dhhr.wv.gov.
Guide
Record guide
At a glance
More West Virginia records on this site: West Virginia 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.