Order Through New York State Department of Health

For Adoptees born every other New York county that is NOT Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island

If you were born in New York state but not in one of the five boroughs of New York City, beginning January 15, 2020, you will be able to order your original pre-adoption birth certificate through the New York State Department of Health (DOH) Office of Vital Statistics. 

Due to the nature of these requests, some research will be required to produce copies of pre-adoption certificates, therefore same day service will not be available. All certificates will be issued via regular mail; no certificates will be issued in person or via email. Preliminary estimates are that requests will take approximately 4 – 6 weeks to fulfill. Processing times will vary depending on the volume of requests received.

WHO CAN REQUEST AN OBC FROM NEW YORK STATE?

 You can request the certificate if:

    • You are the adopted person and are 18 years of age or older.
    • You were born in a New York county that is NOT Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island.
    • You are the adopted person’s direct line descendant, if the adopted person is deceased. A direct line descendant is the child, grandchild or great-grandchild of the adopted person.
    • You are a lawful representative for the adopted person. A lawful representative may include the attorney of the adopted person or direct line descendant.
    • You are a lawful representative for a direct line descendant, if the adopted person is deceased.

EXPECT SIGNIFICANT DELAYS

We all appreciate everyone’s patience as New York workers try to fulfill the high volume of requests for Pre-Adoption Birth Certificates during a global pandemic.

Currently, both New York state and New York City are experiencing significant delays in processing orders for Pre-Adoption Birth Certificates (OBC). At the direction of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Executive Order 202, pertaining to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, offices are currently operating with reduced staff and resources along with a huge increase in the number of death certificates due to COVID-19.

Please continue to be patient. Please do not resubmit applications or email the DOH for an update on the status of your application. With their limited staff; this will only take needed time away from the search to fulfill our applications. We need to all do our best not to bog the system down.

OBC STATUS UPDATE

HOW TO ORDER THE OBC FROM THE STATE:

New York State Department of Health (DOH) Office of Vital Statistics is accepting OBC request in person, by mail or online. The fastest way to apply for a pre-adoption birth certificate is online at www.VitalChek.com or by calling VitalChek Network, Inc. at 877-456-7747.

ORDER ONLINE
NEW YORK STATE WEBSITE
DOWNLOAD NYS FORM
NYS DOH OBC FAQs

FILL OUT THE FORM: To order a copy of the certificate, either go online to VitalChek or download and fill it out as instructed the Adoptee Application for Copy of Pre-Adoption Birth Certificate. Complete the application with your adopted name from your current (post-adoption) birth certificate.  You should not put your birth name or birth parents’ names on the application, even if you know them. To find your record, NYS requires your adopted information.  When entering parents’ names, enter your adoptive parents’ names as they appear on your current (post-adoption). In the address and signature box, provide your current legal name (married name) and current mailing address.

It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED TO ORDER YOUR NYS OBC ONLINE. Use of the online system at www.VitalChek.com is the most efficient way to apply and will result in faster issuance of the original birth certificate.

PROVE YOUR LEGAL IDENTITY:  For online application, VitalChek will ask a series of questions which are used to prove your identity. A copy of your current valid photo identification, such as a unexpired driver’s license or U.S. passport is needed for the mail-in applications. Please see examples of Category 1 and Category 2 identity documents that you can submit are listed on the second page of the application.  Please submit a copy of your U.S. passport in addition to the required IDs if you are applying from a foreign country that requires a passport for travel.

SUBMIT PAYMENT: The fee is $45 per each copy requested.    For mail-in orders, the required fee can be paid by check or money order. For in person application the fee can be paid by check, money order or cash. Credit card payments are not accepted for any form of paper application. To pay by credit card, use Vitalchek.com

MAIL TO: Please mail your application to:

New York State Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Records, PAC Unit
PO Box 2602
Albany, NY 12220-2602

While online and telephone orders are preferred, applications will be accepted via mail or at the Albany office of Vital Statistics walk-in window. The walk-in window at 800 North Pearl Street, Menands, NY, 12204 will be open Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. While you may be able to apply in person to local registrars (your local county clerks offices) those local offices may not have access to the complete, sealed file containing your pre-adoption birth certificate to issue an original birth certificate.  Applications received at the walk-in window will be processed in the same manner as mailed in applications, but paper forms that are mailed in or dropped off at the state department of health will likely take much longer to process, resulting in a longer wait time for you to receive the OBC.  

INCLUDED WITH YOUR OBC: All issued birth certificates will be mailed to the applicant. You will receive the pre-adoption certificate and any additional information in the sealed file pertaining to the adoption. Along with your completed request, the law notes that they must include a copy of any adoption-related documents that are on file.  You do not have to submit a separate application to obtain adoption-related documents that may be on file with the pre-adoption birth certificate. 

OBC Access for Direct Line Descendants of  New York Adoptees

If the adopted person is deceased, a Direct Line Descendant can request a copy of the adoptee’s pre-adoption birth certificate. A Direct Line Descendant is a child, grandchild, or great grandchild, etc. of the adoptee.

Currently, the online application process is not available for Direct Line Descendant applications. Instead, Direct Line Descendants may apply only via a paper application. Applications will be accepted either by mail or in person at the same addresses as above. If applying in person, applicants should be aware that certificates will not be provided the same day. 

DOWNLOAD: Direct Descendant Application for Copy of Pre-Adoption Birth Certificate

As a Direct Line Descendant, plan to have the following documentation included with your OBC Request:

  • A valid photo identification,
  • A photocopy of the adoptee’s death certificate,
  • Documentation showing Direct Line Descent from the adoptee (birth certificates or death certificates showing parents, grandparents, great grandparents’ names as needed).
  • If available, a copy of the adoptee’s birth certificate at the time of death.

The paper application and  more information about the application process for Direct Line Descendants will be made available by January 15, 2020. Please refer to the instructions on the Direct Descendant Application for Copy of PreAdoption Birth Certificate  for additional information on the types of identification and documentation accepted. 

Lawful Representatives of  of  New York Adoptee

The 2020 legislation provides for the lawful representative of an adopted person or the lawful representative of a deceased adopted person’s direct line descendant to apply for a pre-adoption birth certificate.

In addition to the documentation required by an adoptee or Direct Line Descendant (above) , proof of legal representation must be provided along with valid photo identification. Applications from a lawful representative should include all normally required documentation along with evidence of legal representation.

 Adopted in New York, but Born in Another County or State 

If you were born outside of the United States (an intercountry adoptee) or in a state other than New York, you may be able to obtain information, but only if your adoption was finalized in New York. 

For those people born outside of New York but whose adoptions were finalized by a New York state court, if a copy of the OBC from the other jurisdiction is not available from a New York registrar, then the “true and accurate information” that would have appeared on the OBC must be provided. In other words, while the  New York law cannot compel another state or country to release the original birth certificate if it is issued and sealed by that state, the state will now release the identifying information that appears on the OBC. 

The Coalition is not a government agency, does not provide direct search services, and is unable to assist you with accessing information in closed adoption records.  We ARE NOT SEARCHERS, however, we can point you in the right direction. Please see the Guide to Finding Your Birth Parents if Born and Adopted in New York State

Please refer to the New York State Vital Records FAQs; Pre-Adoption Birth Certificate Frequently Asked Questions

Page updated January 16, 2020. All New York State Information can be found at https://health.ny.gov/vital_records/obtaining_birth_certificate.htm