How to Obtain a Copy of Your Birth Certificate in Georgia

Written by Jennifer Mueller, JD

Last Updated: April 19, 2020 References

Your birth certificate is an important document to prove your identification, and you should keep at least one copy in a safe place with your other vital records. If you were born in Georgia, you can obtain a copy of your birth certificate in person, through the mail or online. You also can order a copy of a Georgia birth certificate if you are the parent, grandparent, adult child, adult sibling, spouse or legal guardian of the person whose name is on the birth certificate.^{[1]
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Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Requesting a Copy of Your Birth Certificate Online

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Visit the ROVER website. The Georgia Technology Authority maintains the Register Official Vital Event Records website, known by the acronym “Rover,” where you can order certified copies of Georgia birth or death certificates.
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Provide the required information. To get a copy of your birth certificate online, you must provide your full name, address, email address, date and place of birth (including the city, county and hospital), and the full name of your mother and father.
- If you don’t have all of the required information, you should call Georgia’s Vital Records Call Center at (404) 679-4702 prior to placing your order.^{[2]
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Submit proof of identification. Before the state completes your order, you must send a copy of an approved photo identification, such as a driver’s license or a passport.
- When you make a copy of your ID, enlarge the photo to at least 100% and lighten the shade.
- Put the copy of your ID on the cover sheet included with your order. Print it out and sign it, then scan it and email it to DPH-ROVER@dph.ga.gov.
- You can also make your own cover sheet. Make sure it includes the same information as the cover sheet included with your order: your name and your signature, the name on the birth certificate, your order confirmation number and the date your order was placed.
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Pay the required fees. Georgia charges a $25 search fee and an $8 processing fee for online orders of certified copies.
- If you want an additional copy of the same birth certificate, you can request it at the same time for an additional $5 fee.
- ROVER accepts Visa, Mastercard, Discover or American Express.
- You can also request expedited shipping for an additional $10.^{[3]
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Orders take up to four weeks to be fulfilled and shipped, unless you’ve paid for expedited shipping. Expedited orders take up to two weeks.^{[4]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Requesting a Copy of Your Birth Certificate Through the Mail

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1
Fill out the request form. Georgia offers a copy of the vital records request form online, which you can print and fill out. You could also pick up a copy of the same form at your county vital records office.
- You'll need your full name, address, date and place of birth (including the city, county and hospital), and the full name of your mother and father to complete the request form.
Georgia requires a photo ID such as a driver’s license or passport as proof of identification.
Georgia charges $25 for each certified copy of a birth certificate. If you’re ordering a copy through the mail, you can only pay with a certified check or money order made payable to “Vital Records.”
If requesting through the mail, your documents should be mailed to Vital Records, 2600 Skyland Drive, NE, Atlanta, GA 30319.
Unlike ordering online, you cannot pay to expedite shipping if you place your order through the mail.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Requesting a Copy of Your Birth Certificate in Person

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1
Find the county vital records office in the county where you were born. Each county has a vital records registrar and vital records custodian, either in the county health department or the office of the county probate judge.
- You can call the state vital records office at (404) 679-4702 to get the address and phone number of the vital records registrar and custodian of a specific county. ^{[5]
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- You also can request a certified copy of your birth certificate at the main state office in Atlanta, regardless of where in Georgia you were born.
- All vital records offices have public walk-in hours, but they may vary by county. The state office in Atlanta is open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The form you’ll fill out in the office is the same as the one you would use if you were mailing your request.
Georgia accepts government-issued documents such as passports or driver’s licenses as proof of identification, as well as a school or employee photo ID.
Georgia charges a non-refundable search fee of $25 to find your birth certificate and make a certified copy of it. Your copy will be mailed to you, even if you request it in person.

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Warnings

Birth records are only available in Georgia for births from 1919 to the present.

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The only way you can get a copy of someone's birth record in Georgia if you aren't related to them is if you are their authorized legal guardian or agent. Otherwise, Georgia law restricts access to birth records to the person named in the record, and that person's parents, grandparents, adult children, adult siblings, or spouse.^{[6]
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