Office of Vital Records

Ways to obtain a vital record:

Express Delivery

Next day processing with express delivery options

Standard Processing

Current processing time: 2 weeks

COVID-19 Funeral Assistant Program

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has offered a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Program to eligible applicants to help pay funeral expenses associated with COVID-19 related deaths. For more information, visit the FEMA website or the Virginia Department of Emergency Management website (scroll down to Funeral Assistance).

Office of Vital Records

The Office of Vital Records customer service lobby located at 2001 Maywill Street, Suite # 101 Richmond, Virginia 23230, is open for walk-in customers from Monday - Friday 7:00am to 4:30pm. The Office of Vital Records has a new, fully online system that will allow you to apply for a vital record, pay for it, and receive updates. Click here to open the new system. For questions or general information, contact our Call Center at (804) 662-6200. It is open Monday - Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm.

Drop-Off Option

Customers may drop off a completed application for a vital record at the front desk. This can be mailed by Post Office mail to a given address or the applicant can be informed by phone when the certificate is ready for pick-up. The pick-up requests must be received no later than 2:00pm and will only be released to the requester. Acceptable applications must include the following:

  • Requester’s signature.
  • Legible photocopy of the requester’s ID.
  • Fee of $12 for each requested copy by check, money order, payment card, mobile pay, or cash. Checks and Money Orders should be completed, signed, and made payable to: State Health Department.
  • This option is not available for amendments, name changes, or corrections.

Requests dropped off after 2:00pm will be considered received the next business day.

Notice Regarding REAL ID

Enactment of the REAL ID law has been pushed back to May 7, 2025. For more information regarding the requirements for Virginia's REAL ID, please visit the DMV Website.

Birth records become public information 100 years after the date of the event. Death, marriage, and divorce records become public information 25 years after the event. Vital records are available to immediate family members only: mother, father, spouse, child, brother, sister, and grandparents with valid identification. Birth records can be issued to a legal guardian with proof of custody. Aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws, and any other person cannot obtain a person’s vital record.

Virginia birth and death records from 1912 to the present, divorce records since 1918, and marriage records since 1936 are now available in a publicly available database. Click here to access information on open records from Ancestry.com. Any person requesting a Vital Record must provide a legible copy of their identification (see ID Requirements).

Mailing Address

VDH, Office of Vital Records
P.O. Box 1000
Richmond, Virginia
23218-1000

Vital Records Call Center: 804-662-6200 (8:00am - 4:30pm M - F)

Walk-in hours are 7:00am - 4:30pm M - F

 

 

Any person requesting a Vital Record must provide a legible copy of their identification (see ID Requirements).

VDH Vital Records
Last Updated: April 23, 2024