Apply by mail for your birth certificate to the vital records office in the state where you were born. Each state has different requirements for applications so be sure you use the application for the state where you were born, even if you live in a different state now. Birth certificates are considered to be vital records, along with death, marriage and divorce certificates. Links to birth certificate applications for every state in America are available online in the vital records section of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Most states have records back to the early 1900s. (See Reference 2)
Print and fill out the application from the CDC.gov website. The form will ask for basic information such as which city you were born in, your parents' names and where you would like your certified birth certificate sent.
Notarize your "sworn statement." The sworn statement is a form attached to the application in which you declare your identity. The notary fee should be around $10. Notaries public can be found at most UPS or Mail Boxes etc. stores. This is very important as mailed-in requests without notarized sworn statements will be rejected.
Determine the fee for your application. The fee varies slightly by state and can change from year to year, so confirm at the top of the application the exact fee. For example, the fee for applying for your birth certificate by mail in California is $16, whereas in Georgia it is $25.
Send completed application, notarized sworn statement and the processing fee to the address on your application. Some states, such as Georgia, ask for a photo copy of a valid form of ID such as a driver's license. Rules vary from state to state, so read instructions carefully on the application.
