You can request a birth certificate copy by mail or in person.
To request a copy of a birth certificate in the state of Maryland you must be requesting your own birth certificate, or be the parent/guardian of the person named on the certificate. If you are the representative of the person on the birth certificate, or of the parent/guardian, you must have a notarized letter giving permission to acquire the certificate. You can request copies of birth certificates by mail or in person.
Instructions
Obtaining A Birth Certificate By Mail
1. Download the application from the Vital Statistics Administration of the state of Maryland.
2. Complete the application. Type the information or to complete in pen, proceed to Step 3.
3. Print the application. Use a pen to complete if you chose not to type the information.
4. Address a business-size envelope with your name and address. This is a self-addressed, stamped envelope or a Self-Addressed Stamp Envelope (SASE).
5. Put a first-class stamp on the envelope. Fold the envelope.
6. Address a business-size envelope to: Division of Vital Records, P.O. Box 68760, Baltimore, Maryland, 21215-0036. Put a first-class stamp on the envelope.
7. Insert the folded SASE into the envelope to be mailed to the Division of Vital Records. Insert the completed application into the envelope.
8. Scan/print your driver's license (or other government sanctioned identification with your photograph) or photocopy it. According to the state of Maryland, the identification must have the date it was issued and when it will expire. If you don't have photo identification, you must include two different forms of alternate identification. One of these proofs of identification must have the applicant's current address. Documents accepted: bank statement, up-to-date car registration, pay stub, a rental or lease contract, a request from a government agency mandating the birth certificate, a utility bill matching your present address, and/or a photocopy of your latest tax return/W-2 Form. Fold the copy of the identification. Insert it into the envelope from Step 6.
9. Insert a check or money order for $12.00 made out to the Division of Vital Records into the envelope. Obtain a money order at convenience stores, banks, and grocery stores. This is a non-refundable fee. If no birth certificate is found a Certification of Record Search will be mailed.
10. Seal the envelope. Mail it. The application takes at least two weeks to process.
Obtaining Birth Certificates In Person
11. Follow Section 1 Steps 1-3.
12. Prepare a check or money order, or have cash in the amount of $12.00. Make checks/money orders payable to: Division of Vital Records.
13. Prepare the identification discussed in Section 1 Step 8.
14. Go to the Division of Vital Records, Births and Deaths Records at 6550 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, Maryland, 21215-2304. The phone number is: (410) 764-3038. You will receive your certificate on the same day. According to the state of Maryland's Division of Vital Records, for people born after 1939, "Same day service is also available at local health departments in all jurisdictions except Montgomery County, Baltimore City, and Baltimore County."
Tags: Division Vital, Division Vital Records, Vital Records, birth certificate, into envelope
