New York City Vital Records

Here's how and where to obtain birth, marriage, and death certificates and records from the five boroughs of New York City, including the dates for which NYC vital records are available, where they are located, and links to online New York City vital records databases.

If you are looking for births, marriages, or deaths in New York, but outside of New York City, see New York State Vital Records.

New York City Vital Records

Division of Vital Records
New York City Department of Health
125 Worth Street, CN4, Rm 133
New York, NY 10013
Phone: (212) 788-4520

What You Need to Know: Check or money order should be made payable to New York City Department of Health. Personal checks are accepted. Call or visit the website to verify current fees.

Website: New York City Historical Records

New York City Birth Records

Dates: From 1910 at the city level; some earlier records at borough level

Cost of copy: $15.00 (includes a 2-year search)

Comments: The vital records office has birth records since 1910 for those occurring in the Boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island. For birth records prior to 1910, write to Archives Division, Department of Records and Information Services, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. Online ordering is preferred (through VitalChek) and processed within 24 hours. However, this incurs both a processing fee, in addition to a shipping fee. Applications sent via postal mail must be notarized and the processing time is at least 30 days, but there is not an additional processing fee. You can also order in-person for a $2.75 security fee in addition to the certificate fee.

Birth records prior to 1910 are available through the municipal archives: Manhattan (from 1847), Brooklyn (from 1866), Bronx (from 1898), Queens (from 1898) and Richmond/Staten Island (from 1898). The fee for online and mail orders is $15 per certificate. You can also visit in person and research in the microfilmed vital records for free. Certified copies of identified records may be ordered over-the-counter and will be printed while you wait. The fee is $11.00 per copy. Self-service copying is not available for vital records. 

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Maryland Vital Records - Certificates of Birth, Death and Marriage

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Website: New York Births and Christenings, 1640–1962 (name index to selected records)

New York City Death Records

Dates: From 1949 at city level; some earlier records at borough level

Cost of copy: $15.00 (includes a 2-year search)

Comments: The vital records office has death records since 1949 for those occurring in the Boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. For death records prior to 1949, write to Archives Division, Department of Records and Information Services, 31 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007. Online ordering is preferred (through VitalChek) and processed within 24 hours. However, this incurs both a processing fee, in addition to a shipping fee. Applications sent via postal mail must be notarized and the processing time is at least 30 days.*

Death records prior to 1949 are available through the municipal archives: Manhattan (from 1795, with a few gaps), Brooklyn (from 1847, with a few gaps), Bronx (from 1898), Queens (from 1898) and Richmond/Staten Island (from 1898). The fee for online and mail orders is $15 per certificate. You can also visit in person and research in the microfilmed vital records for free. Certified copies of identified records may be ordered over-the-counter and will be printed while you wait. The fee is $11.00 per copy. Self-service copying is not available for vital records. 

New York City Marriage Records

Dates: From 1930

Cost of copy: $15.00 (includes a 1-year search); add $1 for a second-year search, and $0.50 for each additional year

Comments: Marriage records from 1996 to present can be obtained in person from any office of the New York City Clerk. Marriage records from 1930 to 1995 can only be obtained from the Manhattan Office. Marriage records for marriages that took place in the past 50 years are only available to the bride, groom, or their legal representative. You can also obtain a marriage certificate with written, authorized notice from either spouse or by presenting the original death certificates if both spouses are deceased.

Bronx Borough:
City Clerk's Office
Supreme Court Building
851 Grand Concourse, Room B131
Bronx, NY 10451

Brooklyn Borough:
City Clerk's Office
Brooklyn Municipal Building
210 Joralemon Street, Room 205
Brooklyn, NY 11201

Manhattan Borough:
City Clerk's Office
141 Worth St.
New York, NY 10013

Queens Borough:
City Clerk's Office
Borough Hall Building
120-55 Queens Boulevard, Ground Floor, Room G-100
Kew Gardens, NY 11424

Staten Island Borough (no longer called Richmond):
City Clerk's Office
Borough Hall Building
10 Richmond Terrace, Room 311, (enter at Hyatt Street/Stuyvesant Place intersection entrance).
Staten Island, NY 10301

Marriage records prior to 1930 are available through the municipal archives: Manhattan (from June 1847, with a few gaps), Brooklyn (from 1866), Bronx (from 1898), Queens (from 1898) and Richmond/Staten Island (from 1898).

New York City Divorce Records

Dates: From 1847

Cost of copy: $30.00

Comments: Divorce records for New York City are under the jurisdiction of the New York State Department of Health, which holds divorce records from January 1963.

Application for a Record of Divorce or Dissolution

For divorce records from 1847-1963, contact the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. Keep in mind, however, that New York divorce files are sealed for one hundred years. A few divorce decrees granted by the Court of Chancery from 1787-1847 are available in the New York State Archives.