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About the HSC
Contact Information
Vital Registration
Room 165 350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Phone:304-558-2931
Location
The HSC offices are located in the Diamond Building at 350 Capitol Street
in downtown Charleston. Below are two maps in PDF format showing the Diamond
Building location. Map 1 is of the general Charleston area and Map 2 is more
detailed of the downtown area and gives street traffic flow (one way/two
way) designations.
| Map 1 | Map 2 |
West Virginia Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates
Vital Records is now $12.00 each.
Click on the appropriate link below for information about obtaining a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate. Please read the information carefully, print out the appropriate form and submit to the Vital Registration Office with the appropriate fees (check or money order) enclosed. Please do not send cash.
Vital Registration
Room 165
350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Telephone: (304) 558-2931
Fax: (304) 558-8001
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:00 Eastern Time
except for official holidays
Obtaining a certified copy of a birth certificate:
The West Virginia Vital Registration Office is the state-level custodian of birth certificates for people born anywhere in West Virginia 1917 to date. The Vital Registration Office issues certified copies of birth certificates from the original certificate on file. Certified copies are legal proof of age, U.S. citizenship, and parentage. As such, they are accepted by local, state, and federal governments as legal proof for applying for: social security numbers, driver's licenses, entrance to schools, entrance to military, marriage licenses, U.S. passports, retirement benefits, etc.
Certified copies of birth certificates that are submitted to a foreign government may require additional "authentication" including an apostille certificate, from the WV Secretary of State's Office. This does not apply to certificates carried by the registrant out of the country to be used as identification. Please call the Vital Registration Office for more information on that process.
Who may obtain copies:
In terms of obtaining vital records, West Virginia is not an "open record" state. Access to certified copies of birth certificates is restricted to the following individuals:
- The registrant (person named on the certificate) as long as they are 18 years or older or are emancipated by court order or marriage
- Mother or father as listed on the certificate or current stepparent of registrant
- Legal guardian (submit copy of guardianship papers)
- Registrant's spouse
- Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc., of the registrant (including half and step relationships)
- Brother or sister of the registrant (including half and step relationships)
- Mother-in-law / father-in-law of registrant
- Son-in-law / daughter-in-law of registrant
- Grandparents and great-grandparents of the registrant
In addition, a legal representative of one of the above or an authorized government agency may obtain a certified copy.
Those who do not meet one of the above categories, but who can demonstrate a direct or tangible interest in the record, should contact the office directly for instructions.
If you have questions, please call (304) 558-2931 between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM eastern time.
Top of pageFees and charges:
There is a non refundable $12.00 search fee, which entitles the applicant to one certified copy of the birth certificate. The search fee covers a three year search that consists of the year specified, the year before, and the year after the year specified. Additional copies are also $12.00 each . If no record is found, a "No Record" letter will be mailed to the applicant informing them that no record is on file for the requested certificate. To request copies of a birth certificate, link to and print out the form and send it along with the appropriate fee t
Request Forms:
PDF birth certificate request form for mail-in requests: PDF format form (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader 3.0(+)). Please fill in the form on your screen (if your computer allows it) before printing out the form and signing it on the signature line. You can use the "tab" key to move to the next part of the form. Use the "Enter" key to place checks in the appropriate boxes. If you cannot fill the form in on-screen, please print it and fill in the form by printing neatly, except where your signature is required.
If you cannot access the PDF form, try printing
the following:
Birth Certificate
Request Form
Please print clearly except where signature is required.
(Note: These forms cannot be used by walk-in Customers.
Walk-in customers will be supplied a multi-part form
when they arrive.)
Top of page
How long will it take?
It depends on the workload within the office. During low volume periods, requests are usually processed within five working days after receipt. Normal turnaround time is two to three weeks, but is often quite faster. During March and April and August and September, the office experiences high customer service demand due to school enrollment. A minimum of three weeks should be anticipated.
An expedited service is available through a company called VitalChek at an additional charge. You may call the office and request this service using a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card. Before calling, please print out a copy of the application form and be prepared to give all of the information, along with your credit card information, to the customer service representative. The VitalChek web site also provides information on obtaining birth and death records from other states, in addition to offering online ordering of certificates.
If you have questions concerning individual birth records, please call Vital Registration between the hours of 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM eastern time at 304-558-2931.
Obtaining a copy of a death certificate:
The West Virginia Vital Registration Office issues certified copies of death certificates of individuals who died within the borders of West Virginia.
Who may obtain copies:
Certificates will only be issued to the next of kin or to persons with a legal right to the certificate. If you have questions concerning the right to obtain a copy of a death certificate, please contact the Vital Registration Program at (304) 558-2931.
Fees and charges:
There is a non-refundable $12.00 search fee, which also entitles you to one certified copy of the death certificate. The search fee covers a three year search that includes the year specified, the year before, and the year after the year specified. If no record is found, a letter will be returned informing you of the inability to locate a record for the person. There is a charge of $12.00 for each additional copy. To request copies of a death certificate, link to and print out the form and send it along with the appropriate fee to:
Vital Registration
Room 165
350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Telephone: (304) 558-2931
Fax: (304) 558-8001
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:00 Eastern Time except for official holidays
Forms:Pop-up:Death
Certificate Request Form
Or: PDF format form (requires Adobe Acrobat
3.0(+))
(Note: These forms can not be used by walk-in Customers. Walk-in
customers will be supplied a multi-part form when they arrive.)
How long will it take?
Once the death certificate has been completed by a physician or other authorized individual, and submitted and processed by the Vital Registration Office, the following turnaround times can be expected. The completion and submission of the actual death certificate forms to the Vital Registration Office is usually handled by the funeral home. The funeral home will usually provide the family with some certified copies of death certificates as part of their fee. Subsequent requests should be directed to the Vital Registration Office.
During low-volume periods, requests are usually processed within five working days. Normally you will have two or three days for mail delivery of the request, three to four days for processing and two to three days for return mailing. With weekends and holidays, this results in a period of about ten to fourteen days to receive a response in the mail. During high-volume periods for the Vital Registration Office, such as around school entry times, Little League registration, and holidays, it may extend to as much as three weeks.
An expedited service is available through a company called VitalChek at an additional charge. You may call the office and request this service using a Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover card. Before calling, please print out a copy of the application form and be prepared to give all of the information, along with your credit card information, to the customer service representative. The VitalChek Website also provides information on obtaining birth and death records from other states.
Obtaining a certified copy of an application for a marriage license:
The West Virginia Vital Registration Office issues certified copies of the applications for marriage licenses for those who applied for a license and were married in West Virginia. The completed marriage license application contains all of the facts of marriage and is legal proof that a marriage occurred in West Virginia. The Office is able to issue certified copies for marriages from 1964 forward. For marriages occurring before 1964, please contact the county clerk's office in the county where the marriage license was issued.
Who may obtain copies:
Certified copies may only be issued to:
- The husband or the wife;
- The adult children of the husband and/or wife;
- the adult grandchildren of the husband and/or wife;
- Those who can prove a tangible and direct legal interest in the document; or
- A legal representative acting in behalf of one of the above.
Fees and charges:
There is a non-refundable $12.00 search fee, which also entitles the requestor to one certified copy of the application for a marriage license. The search fee covers a three year search that includes the year specified, the year before, and the year after the year specified. If no record is found, a letter will be returned informing requestor of the inability to locate a record for the person. There is a charge of $12.00 for each additional copy. To request copies of a marriage certificate, print out the form and send it along with the appropriate fee to:
Vital Registration
Room 165
350 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-3701
Telephone: (304) 558-2931
Fax: (304) 558-8001
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 - 5:00 Eastern Time except for official holidays
Forms: PDF format form (requires Adobe Acrobat 3.0(+))Note: If you cannot view the Adobe PDF file above, you may use the html version
How long will it take?
New or Recent Marriages
New or Recent Marriages are first registered in the county clerk's office in the county where the license was issued. The county clerk is required to send all completed marriage applications to the Vital Registration Office by the 10th day of the month after the month in which the license was returned to them after the marriage. This process means that a delay of two months or more from the time the marriage occurs until the Vital Registration Office can issue a certified copy is not unusual. Once on file, the processing time is identical as existing orders. When a certified copy for a recent marriage is required before two to three months have elapsed, the requestor should contact the county clerk for certified copies.
Existing Marriages
Normally, once an order is received, the requestor will receive their order within 11-15 days. During high-volume periods for the Vital Registration Office, such as around first time school registration (March/April, August/September), Little League registration, and holidays, it may extend to as much as three weeks or more.
An expedited service is available through a company called
VitalChek at an additional charge. You may call the office and request this service using Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover. Before calling, please print out a copy of the application form and be prepared to give all of the information, along with your credit card information, to the customer service representative. The VitalChek Website also provides information on obtaining birth, death and marriage records from other states. The Health Statistics Center is a Division of:
The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources DHHR
Bureau for Public Health BPH
Office of Epidemiology and Health Promotion OEHP
This page was last updated 1/9/2009.