Download a birth certificate application from the DHEC website (see Resources).
Complete the top and birth certificate sections of the vital records application. Provide your name, address and relationship to the registrant in the top section. In the birth certificate section, provide the registrant's name, date of birth, city of birth and parents' names.
Make a photocopy of your valid photo identification such as a driver's license, passport or military identification card. You can find a complete list of valid forms of identification on page two of the application.
Submit your application, application fee and copies of your identification by mail to the DHEC's main office in Columbia, South Carolina, or bring it in person to any of the DHEC's county vital record offices (see Resources). As of November 2010, the application fee is $12 for standard requests and $17 for expedited requests. Walk-in requests are fulfilled in 45 minutes, standard mail-in requests take two to four weeks and expedited mail-in requests take three to five business days.
