Order through New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
For Adoptees born in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island ONLY!
The NYC Health Department holds the birth records for anyone born in the city. Starting January 15, 2020, you can request a copy of a pre-adoption long-form original birth certificate for an adopted person who was born in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens or Staten Island.
Pre-adoption birth certificates are sealed records and require additional processing time. It will take 12 to 16 weeks for New York City to complete the request. DUE TO COVID-19 FULFILLMENT OF NYC OBC REQUESTS ARE SLOWED DOWN. PLEASE BE PATIENT! Processing times will vary depending on the volume of requests received.
EXPECT SIGNIFICANT DELAYS
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.
WHO CAN REQUEST AN OBC FROM NEW YORK CITY?
You can request the certificate if:
- You are the adopted person and are 18 years of age or older.
- You were born in 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.
HOW TO ORDER THE NYC OBC:
The NYC Health Department is accepting OBC request by mail and has now started to taking certificate orders online.
ORDER ONLINE THROUGH VITALCHEK: Follow the link above to order your Pre-Adoption Birth Certificate online. Follow the directions to prove your identity, etc. The application will ask for information as it appears on your current NYC birth certificate (post-adoption). No information is required from the pre-adoption birth certificate. You are not expected to know your original name, etc. Use your adopted name, your adoptive parents etc.
OR
FILL OUT THE FORM: To order a copy of the certificate, download the Pre-adoption Birth Certificate Application (PDF). The application will ask for information as it appears on your current NYC birth certificate (post-adoption). No information is required from the pre-adoption birth certificate. You are not expected to know your original name, etc. Use your adopted name, your adoptive parents etc. Make sure the form is completed, signed and notarized
PROVE YOUR LEGAL IDENTITY: A copy of your current valid photo identification, such as a unexpired driver’s license or U.S. passport is needed. If you are the lawful representative of the adopted person, please also submit your current photo identification. Please see examples of Category 1 and Category 2 identity documents that you can submit are listed on the second page of the application.
SUBMIT PAYMENT: The NYC Fee is $15.00. Include with your application and documentation, a check or money order for $15, which is the fee for the pre-adoption certificate.
MAIL TO: Please mail your application to:
Office of Vital Records
Attention: Sealed Record Request
125 Worth St., CN-4
New York, NY 10013-4090
INCLUDED WITH YOUR OBC: All issued birth certificates will be mailed to the applicant. New York City will send you one certified copy of the pre-adoption birth record. The certificate will be clearly marked as a pre-adoption record from a sealed file. Along with your completed request, the law notes that they must include a copy of any adoption-related documents that are on file. All requests will also include any documents related to the adoption that are currently on file with the pre-adoption birth certificate, such as the adoption order. 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. New York City will include one copy of the document(s) with the pre-adoption birth certificate.
Contact for New York City Original Birth Certificates
Please call 311 or 212 NEW-YORK (212-639-9675) if you are calling from outside NYC
You can also email the Office of Vital Records Services at nycdohvr@health.nyc.gov.
Office of Vital Records; Bureau of Vital Statistics
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
125 Worth Street
Room 144
New York, NY 10013
Hours (excluding holidays)
Monday – Friday
9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. except corrections (9 a.m. – 3 p.m.)
OBC Access for Direct Line Descendants of New York City Born Adoptees
If you are a direct line descendant of a deceased adoptee or the lawful representative of a direct line descendant of a deceased adoptee, you can request the pre-adoption long-form birth certificate. To request the certificate, you must submit:
- A completed, signed and notarized Pre-adoption Birth Certificate Application (PDF).
- The original death certificate of the adoptee, if the person died outside NYC.
- A copy of the death certificate or the death certificate number, if the adoptee died in NYC.
- A check or money order for $15, which is the fee for the pre-adoption certificate.
- A copy of your current valid photo identification, such as a unexpired driver’s license or U.S. passport. Examples of Category 1 and Category 2 identity documents that you can submit are listed on the second page of the application.
- A certified copy of your birth certificate.
- In addition to the items noted above, you must also submit birth certificates showing a link back to the person whose pre-adoption birth certificate you are requesting. See the table below for a list of required documents to include with your application.
| I am requesting the pre-adoption birth certificate of my: | You must submit all of the following documents with your application. The documents must show a link back to the person whose record you are requesting |
|---|---|
| Parent |
Your original birth certificate |
| Grandparent |
Your original birth certificate; |
| Great-grandparent |
Your original birth certificate; |
OBC Access for Lawful Representatives of New York City Born Adoptees
An attorney can request the pre-adoption long-form birth certificate on behalf of a living adoptee. If the adoptee is deceased, an attorney hired on behalf of a direct line descendant can also request the certificate. An attorney would need to submit:
- Proof of representation of the entitled party (for example, a retainer letter)
- A copy of the attorney’s current valid photo ID (such as an unexpired driver’s license)
- Proof of attorney licensure
- A completed, signed and notarized Pre-adoption Birth Certificate Application (PDF)
- All items the entitled party must submit, as indicated on the pre-adoption application form
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
Page updated January 16, 2020. All New York City Information can be found at https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/birth-certificates.page