| You can request certified
copies of birth records for:
or death records for:
You can apply for the above certificates in different ways.
-
Apply online. The Galveston County Health Department does not accept credit cards for online orders; however, for your convenience, you can process online requests through an independent company that we have partnered with to provide you this service; VitalChek Network, Inc. VitalChek can be reached either through its website, or by phone at 1-800-255-2414. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service, and all major credit cards are accepted, including American Express®, Discover®, MasterCard® or Visa®.
- Apply in person at either our Galveston
or La Marque location.
- Apply by regular mail to the following
address:
Mailing Address
Galveston County Health District
4700 Broadway, Suite C100
Galveston, Texas 77551
- Apply by overnight mail
NO TELEPHONE REQUESTS OR VERIFICATIONS
WILL BE ACCEPTED
Birth Records are available from
1903 to the present. Galveston County Health District has records from 1910 to
the present. The Galveston County Clerk's Office has a few records prior to
1910, or you may wish to contact the genealogy section of the
Texas
State Library and Archives Commission
Requesting Certified Copies:
You may
print out, complete and mail the
- Application For Certified Copy of Birth/Death Certificate (English)
(Spanish)
OR include the following information in a letter:
- The name on the birth or death record being requested.
- The date and place of birth or death.
- Father's full name (last, first, middle).
- Mother's full name, including her maiden name.
- Purpose for obtaining the certificate.
- Relationship to the person whose certificate is being requested.
- Your daytime telephone number with area code.
- Your handwritten signature and complete return mailing address.
- A photocopy of your picture ID, such as your driver's license.
Please include appropriate
fees.
Overnight service is available for Birth and Death
Records.
Please note: Birth
records are confidential for 75 years and death records for 25 years; therefore,
issuance is restricted to qualified applicants. Please
attach a photocopy of ID to application. Failure to provide the purpose in
obtaining the record and relationship to the applicant in the request, when the
applicant is not the person named on the record, will result in the application
being rejected or delayed in processing.
Overnight Delivery Service
Click to print and fill out a Birth/Death Certification Application (English)
(Spanish)
The following mailing address MUST be utilized for
overnight delivery:
Galveston County Health District
4700 Broadway, Suite C100
Galveston, Texas 77551
Send by an Overnight Delivery Service (Not regular
mail, priority mail, or certified mail), and enclose a prepaid Overnight
envelope. Include money order for the appropriate fee made payable to:
Galveston County Health District.
Copies are mailed the same day as received at the Health District office
in Galveston.
Birth Certificate outside of Galveston County:
Some Local Registrar offices, including the Galveston County
Health District, have remote access to Texas birth certificates
from across the state. Locations of other offices with Remote
Access are available from the Galveston County Health District
(409) 765-2520, or the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics, (512)
458-7111.
Obtaining a birth or death certificate
from another state
For out-of-state birth or death certificates, please see the
National Center for Health Statistics' site on Where to
Write for Vital Records.
Apostille:
Authenicating Birth or Death Certificates
If you are transferred by your employer to a foreign country,
wanting to marry in a foreign country, or if you are adopting a
child born in a foreign country, you may need to present your
birth certificate to an official with the foreign country. If
you are taking a deceased family member to a foreign country, or
settling an estate of a deceased family member in a foreign
country, the government officials with the foreign country will
most likely require the death certificate of the decedent.
Depending on the country and the circumstance, the documents may
not be accepted by the foreign government officials unless they
have been authenticated by the
Secretary of State's Office. The 1961 Hague Convention
established a pre-printed form for the purpose of authenticating
documents for the countries that have joined the convention.
This form is called an Apostille. If a document is authenticated
with an Apostille, it will be recognized and will not need
further certification as long as the foreign country requesting
the document has joined the Hague Convention. Since October 15,
1981, the United States has been part of the Convention.
Heirloom Birth Certificates
 Native
Texans have a proud history. Celebrate that heritage with a
personalized Birth Certificate. Whether you are a first or fifth
generation Texan, you share a unique and proud heritage of
independence and individualism. To celebrate this heritage, the
Texas Legislature authorized the creation of an "heirloom" birth
certificate. This legal birth certificate celebrates that unique
heritage of being a Native Texan.
This personalized certificate has a specially
designed engraved intaglio border, heirloom quality paper, background security
features and a gold embossed seal. Two styles, one with a state flag background
and the other with the state outline background, are offered.
The cost is $60.00 each for these certificates that can be
passed from generation to generation.
This is a truly unique gift to yourself, a family member or a
special friend. Once framed, these certificates will be especially beautiful
hung on a wall in a baby's room or in an office. It would seem particularly
appropriate for an office that is outside the boundaries of this great state.
State law prevents issuance of a birth certificate to anyone
other than the individual or immediate family member. Therefore, we have
designed a special gift certificate that can be ordered by you and then redeemed
for the heirloom certificate of the individual's choice. State law also prevents
issuance of this certificate to persons whose births were established by court
order or delayed record procedures.
The Heirloom Birth Certificate may be obtained by:
- Completing the Application for Birth or Death Certificate (English)
(Spanish), OR include the
following information in a letter:
- Specify the State or Flag Heirloom Certificate;
- The name on the birth record being requested;
- The date and place of birth;
- Father's full name (last, first, middle);
- Mother's full name, including her maiden name;
- Purpose for obtaining the certificate;
- Relationship to the person whose certificate is being requested;
- Your daytime telephone number with area code;
- Your handwritten signature and complete return mailing address;
- A photocopy of your picture ID, such as your driver's license
Please note:
In order to determine if the applicant is properly qualified when the person
applying for the certificate(s) is not an immediate family member, it is
essential for the application to also include the following:
- A notarized statement from the individual named on the certificate or an
immediate family member;
- The purpose for obtaining the record; and
- The relationship of the applicant.
The fee for each search and Heirloom Birth Certificate is $60.00.
***If a record is not found, $60.00 of the fee is non-refundable or
transferable.
You can expect to receive your certificate within 3 to 4 weeks.
Overnight Service is also available for Heirloom
Birth Certificates.
Paternity and or amendment of a birth certificate
Paternity: By naming a father on the Texas Birth Certificate or
on an Acknowledgment of Paternity Form, a presumption of
paternity is established for a child born in this state. This
should not be confused with establishing a legal father for the
purpose of child support or visitation. For information on how
to establish a legal father, contact the Texas Office of the
Attorney General, or see the Attorney General site on
Establishing Paternity. Forms for and assistance in adding a
father's name to the Certificate may be obtained at the
Galveston County Health Districts Vital Statistics Offices. For
additional information, please see the
Texas Bureau of Vital
Statistics.
Qualified Applicants
A qualified applicant is defined as the registrant, or immediate
family member either by blood or marriage, his or her guardian,
or his or her legal representative. Local, state and federal law
enforcement or governmental agencies and other persons may be
designated as properly qualified applicants by demonstrating a
direct and tangible interest in the record when information in
the record is necessary to implement a statutory provision or to
protect a personal legal property right. A properly qualified
applicant may also be any person who has submitted an
application for a request to release personal information and
has been approved as outlined in the Health and Safety Code,
Section 181.11, relating to Requests for Personal Data.
If you do not meet the definition of a qualified applicant or
you simply need to verify that a birth or death has occurred,
you may request a Verification of Birth or Death.
Fees
Fees are considered search fees and are not refundable or transferable if
the record is not found.
Fees are subject to change without notice (call
409-765-2520 for fee verification).
- Certificate of Birth is $23.
- Birth Verification $23
- Certificate of Birth (wallet size) is
$23.
(this includes the wallet certificate and the plastic pouch)
- Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth is $21
- Heirloom birth certificates $60
- Marriage or Divorce Verification letter is $21
- Certificate of Birth for births in TEXAS
CITY or outside of Galveston County is $23.
- First Certificate of Death is $21.
- Additional copies of the same death record
ordered at the
same time is $4.
- Death Verification letter $21
- Plastic Pouches: full size: $2, remote size: $1.50 and wallet size $1.
Please make money order payable to the GALVESTON COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT OR GCHD.
Questions or Comments?
E-mail us - agarcia@gchd.org |
