Birth Certificates

BIRTH RECORDS

Restrictions
Apostille Birth Certificates
Records Available
Commemorative Birth Certificates
How to Obtain a Birth Certificate
Birth Resulting in Stillbirth
Fees
Putative Father Registry
Amendments
Adoption Registry

RESTRICTIONS

By Florida law:

Birth certificates are confidential records and may only be obtained by eligible persons as listed below upon valid identification, any required documentation, and payment of the proper fee.

• The person named on the birth certificate (registrant) if of legal age (18 or older)
• Mother or father
• Guardian or legal representative of one of the individuals named above with proper documentation or by court order.
• If registrant is deceased, you must provide a copy of the registrants’ death certificate and must be the registrants, mother, father, spouse, child, grandchild, or sibling, or a legal representative of any of those persons.
• If it has been 125 years since the registrants’ date of birth, the record becomes public record and anyone can obtain a copy of the birth certificate.
• If you are an eligible person, you may authorize another person to order the birth certificate on your behalf by completing an Affidavit to Release Birth Certification and providing them with a copy of your valid identification and any required documentation. The original affidavit is to be submitted along with a completed Application for Florida Birth Record.

RECORDSAVAILABLE

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County is able to issue certified copies of birth certificates for any birth which occurred in the State of Florida.

HOW TO OBTAIN A BIRTH CERTIFICATE

BY MAIL:  Print and complete the appropriate application and mail it to the address provided on the form along with proper payment amount and a copy of your identification and documentation, if required.

Applications: 

English 

Spanish

Creole                                         

Mail to:  Florida Department of Health Lee County 

              Attention: Vital Statistics
              83 Pondella Road
              North Fort Myers, FL 33903

IN PERSON:  The office in Lee County is located at the address below. Bring any required identification and documentation with you along with payment for the fee.

Florida Department of Health Lee County
Office of Vital Statistics
83 Pondella Road
North Fort Myers, FL 33903

 Client Service Hours  Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm

Online/By Phone:  If you wish to order online or by phone with a credit card, our office uses the VitalChek^® Network as our ONLY contracted vendor to accept orders billed to a credit card.  Go to the VitalChek^® website or speak with a customer representative to place your order by telephone at 1-800-255-2414.  If you experience problems with the online ordering, please call VitalChek^® for assistance.

FEES 

BIRTH AMENDMENTS 

If a birth record contains errors, it may be possible to correct the record.  Documentary evidence may be required to support the correction depending on the type of correction and the age of the registrant.

If the correction is to the name of the minor child, both parents, if listed on the original birth record, are required to sign.

A non-refundable fee of $20.00 is required by Florida law.  This fee includes one certified copy of the record.

The two forms needed to request the amendment are provided below.  The forms should be completed and submitted to the address provided below along with any supporting documentation, copy of your valid identification, and payment of the fee.  The instructions on how to complete the forms is also provided below.

1. Instructions for Amending a Certificate of Live Birth
2. Affidavit to Amend a Florida Birth Record
3. Application to Amend a Florida Birth Record – English / Spanish / Creole

Mail to:          Florida Department of Health
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Attn: Correction Unit
P.O. Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042

For more information please call (904) 359-6900 or visit www.floridahealth.gov/certificates-and-registries/certificates/amendments-corrections/index.html

APOSTILLE BIRTH CERTIFICATES

An Apostille is a certification provided under the Hague convention of 1961 for authenticating documents for use in foreign countries.  An Exemplified certification covers those countries who did not sign the Hague Treaty.  The sole function of the Apostille or Exemplified certificate is to certify the authenticity of the signature of the document.  In Florida, the Apostille or Exemplified certificate contains the original signature of the State Registrar and the Secretary of State.   A Florida Birth certificate can be certified as Apostille or Exemplified by the Florida Department of State.

Fee information and mailing instructions are provided on the application below:

Application for Apostille Florida Birth Certificate

For more information please call (904) 359-6900 or visit www.floridahealth.gov/certificates-and-registries/certificates/birth/Apostille/index.html

COMMEMORATIVE BIRTH CERTIFICATES

The State of Florida issues commemorative birth and marriage certificates, signed by the current Governor and State Registrar of Vital Statistics.  The certificates contain calligraphy style printing, gold embossed state seals, and are suitable for framing and preserving as family heirlooms, but not to be intended as proof of birth. The commemorative certificates are mailed encased in cardboard shields to ensure protection.

The same restrictions of a birth certificate apply to a commemorative birth certificate.  Please review the section on “Restrictions” to determine if you are eligible to order a commemorative birth certificate.

Fee information and mailing instructions are provided on the application below:

Application for Florida Commemorative Birth Certificate 

For more information please call (904) 359-6900 or visit https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates-and-registries/certificates/birth/Commemorative/index.html

In 2006, Florida's governor signed into law legislation that allows for the issuance of a certification for a Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth.  This law, section 382.0085, Florida Statutes, is known as Katherine's Law.  Florida was the 14th state to implement such a law.

The Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth is not proof of live birth and may not be used to establish identity. Gestation must be 20 weeks or more, and there must be a fetal death certificate on file with the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics in order for a stillbirth certificate to be prepared.  The information included on the stillbirth certificate comes from the fetal death certificate.

The application to order this certificate is provided below.  The instructions, fee, and mailing information are provided on the application.

Application for Florida Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth

Brochure - How to Apply for a Florida Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth

For more information please call (904) 359-6900 or visit www.floridahealth.gov/certificates-and-registries/certificates/birth/Stillbirth/index.html

PUTATIVE FATHER’S REGISTRY

Father’s have rights too!

The purpose of the registry is to permit a man alleging to be the unmarried biological father of a child to preserve his right to notice and consent in the event of an adoption.

A putative father registry claim is done without the consent or involvement of the mother.  The father’s name is not added to the child’s birth record.  Should the child be placed for adoption, the putative father must be named a party to the adoption proceedings.

The claim form is provided below.  The instructions, fee, and mailing information are provided on the form.

FloridaPutative Father Registry - Claim of Paternity forms: English / Spanish / Creole

For more information please call (904) 359-6900 or visit https://www.floridahealth.gov/certificates-and-registries/certificates/birth/Putative_Father/index.html

FLORIDA’S ADOPTION REUNION REGISTRY (FARR)

FARR was established in 1982 by the Florida Legislature for people affected by adoption in Florida to have the opportunity to reunite.  Currently FARR has more than 6,200 people listed on the registry and is facilitating 6 to 8 reunions a month.  FARR is operated by the state of Florida Department of Children and Families.

Florida's Adoption Information Center was created by the Florida Legislature to serve as a clearinghouse in every area of adoption.  The Center has served more that 175,000 people since opening in 1994.  As a free service, the Adoption Information Center provides adoption information and referral services to adoptive parents, adult adoptees, birth relatives, pregnant women and professionals.

Eligibility:  Adopted Adults, Birth Parents, Birth Siblings, Birth Aunts and Uncles, Birth Grandparents and Adoptive Parents on behalf of their Adopted Minor Child.

The way FARR works: If two (or more) people affected by an adoption in Florida lists themselves on the registry, then FARR gets them in touch with both parties. The registry is passive and does not actively search.

For more information please call 1-800-96-ADOPT in Florida or (904) 353-0679 outside of Florida.

You can also visit adoptflorida.com.