Heritage Album

Free state birth certificate information for family tree?

How do you find "free" State links to find birth records for a family tree search?

Public Comments

1. Check out the following website.
2. Penelope gave a great resourse. But be aware that birth certificates are NOT public information. As such, most states have very tight restrictions on who can acquire them. In my state of Virginia for example, birth certificates are restricted for 100 years, yes, that's one hundred, from the date of birth. Only immediate family members can request one inside that time frame. And the definition immediate family is also very restricted. Grandparents, cousins, uncles are NOT immediate family. Since there are 50 states, I can assume there are probably 50 different sets of restrictions. You would have to check for the state you are interested in. But no matter what the state, unless you are an immediate family member, it is going to be difficult. A birth certificate is an identity thief's gold mine. So they are treated that way.
3. If there is a particular state you are asking about, there may be some resources that are free. Also, it is important to know if you want a physical copy of the certificate itself, a certified copy of it or just the basic information that is on the birth record. For instance, if you are researching in West Virginia, they are one of the few states that have these records available for free online with the ability to print the images. Not all counties are included, but they are in the process of getting them uploaded. (see http://www.wvculture.org/vrr/va_select.aspx) What form of certificate do you need and what states are you interested in?