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New Jersey Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Records
How to Order New Jersey Birth, Death, Divorce and Marriage Certificates
Getting Copies of Genealogical Records Birth, Death, and Marriage
STEP 1
Identifying the genealogical record: You must be able to identify the record by providing, at minimum, the information listed below on the application form. You may also provide more exact or complete information, if you wish. However, your request cannot be accepted unless you provide the minimum information below.
- Full name on the record
- City or county where the event occurred
- Year the event occurred
Acceptable Identification: You must provide acceptable ID in order to get a copy of any vital record. The following are acceptable forms of ID:
- A current, valid photo driver's license or photo non-driver's license OR
- A current, valid driver’s license without photo and one alternate form of ID with current address OR
- Two alternate forms of ID, one of which must have current address.
Alternate forms of ID are:
- Vehicle registration
- Vehicle insurance card
- Passport
- Voter registration
- Green card/Immigrant visa
- Federal/County ID
- School ID
- Court documents
- W-2 for current/previous tax year
- Utility/bank statement from within the last 90 days
Please do not send in original ID documents. Only copies are required.
Proof of Relationship: Proof of relationship is not required if you are asking for a certification, which is an uncertified informational copy of the vital record not valid for establishing identity or legal purposes. However, you must still provide proof of identity when requesting a certification.
To get a certified copy of a person’s genealogical vital record, you must provide proof of your relationship to the person listed on the record and the proof must establish you are one of the following:
- The subject of the record
- The subject’s parent, legal guardian or legal representative
- The subject’s spouse/civil union partner; child, grandchild or sibling, if of legal age
- A state or federal agency for official purposes
- Pursuant to court order
See the How to Prove Relationship tips at the bottom of this page for information on how to prove your relationship. This is a key requirement to getting a certified copy of a vital record. Failure to provide proof of relationship is the number one reason applications must be rejected.
Payment of fees: Fees for copies of vital records issued by the Local Registrar’s Office vary by municipality. Please contact the specific office to learn more.
The State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration charges $25 for the first copy of a vital record and $2 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Additional years can be searched for genealogical applications at a fee of $1 for each additional year searched.
Applications mailed to the State may be paid by check or money order made payable to: “Treasurer, State of New Jersey.” Applications made to the municipal office should be made payable to the municipality. We cannot accept credit card payment by mail. Also, please do not send cash through the mail. Our authorized vendor, VitalChek, can accept credit cards. Please see the following information about submitting your application.
STEP 2
There are several ways to get a copy of a vital record:
- Expedited Service -- Mail, Phone, Fax or Internet Orders: Use our vendor VitalChek. Your document will be shipped faster than if you apply in writing to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration. Once your order is received by VitalChek it is usually processed and your documents returned within 25 business days. There is an additional $10.95 processing fee for this service, and you will need a credit card, check or money order to place your order. You can go directly to the VitalChek web site now to place your order. The website will walk you through the process. You will not have to return to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration web page.
- Non-expedited Service -- Mail Orders Only: Genealogical records by mail from the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration are typically processed within 14 to 16 weeks. You can mail your completed "Application for a Certification or Certified Copy of a Vital Record" (Birth, Marriage, Civil Union, Domestic Partnership, or Death Certificate) [pdf 54k*] [doc 47k] to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration or to the Local Registrar in the city or town where the vital event took place. The records you requested can only be sent to the address listed on your identification documents.
- For a Local Registrar, call the Registrar’s office first for information on processing times and fees. (This service is currently not available in Jersey City for births. You must order Jersey City birth records from the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration.)
- For the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration, mail to:
Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration
Customer Service Unit – Non-Genealogical Requests
PO Box 370
Trenton, NJ 08625-0370
- You can also order Order Electronically Online to obtain a certified copy of a birth, marriage, death or divorce record with a credit or debit card and get the certificates within 2-5 days by ordering from Vital Records from Archives.com: Order Birth, Marriage, Divorce or Death Records Online!
Regardless of the where you place your order you will have to send with your application:
- all required copies of ID establishing your identity
- copies of documents proving your relationship to the person named on the record and
- the correct fee.
Your application will be returned if you do not send in all required information.
