Mississippi Vital Records:
State Department of Health
P.O. Box 1700
Jackson, MS 39215-1700
Phone: (601) 576-7981 or (601) 576-7450 (recorded message)
What You Need to Know:
Personal check, bank or postal money order or bank cashier's check are accepted and should be made payable to Mississippi State Department of Health. Call or visit the website to verify current fees. A copy of a valid photo ID for the applicant is required.
Web site: Mississippi Vital Records
Mississippi Birth Records:
Dates: From 1 November 1912*
Cost of copy: $15.00
Comments: The State of Mississippi did not officially keep birth records until November 1912. Birth records in Mississippi are not considered public access documents. Certified copies of such records in the custody of the State Department of Health may be obtained only by persons having a direct and tangible interest in such records, i.e. the subject named on the record, an immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild), or a legal representative. Be sure to indicate on your request your relationship to the individual and the reason for your request, and include valid photo ID. Additional copies of same record ordered at same time are $5.00 each.
Application for Mississippi Birth Certificate
Mississippi Death Records:
Dates: From 1 November 1912
Cost of copy: $15.00
Comments: The State of Mississippi did not officially keep death records until November 1912. Death records in Mississippi are not considered public access documents. Certified copies of such records in the custody of the State Department of Health may be obtained only by persons having a direct and tangible interest in such records, i.e. the subject named on the record, an immediate family member (parent, spouse, sibling, grandparent, or grandchild), or a legal representative. Be sure to indicate on your request your relationship to the individual and the reason for your request, and include valid photo ID. Additional copies of same record ordered at same time are $5.00 each.
Application for Mississippi Death Certificate
Mississippi Marriage Records:
Dates: January 1926 - 1 July 1938; January 1942 - present*
Cost of Copy: $15.00
Comments: Marriage records have been kept by Mississippi state and county officials since 1 January 1926. From 1 July 1938, to 31 December 1941, records were kept only by the circuit court clerk in the county in which the marriage license was issued. Only statistical records are available from the State Vital Records department for the period January 1926 to 1 July 1938, and since January 1942. Marriage records are generally available from the county for this interim period.
Application for Mississippi Marriage Certificate
Online:
Tippah County Marriages, 1858-1979 - A free, browsable-only collection of marriages recorded by the Probate Court and the Circuit Court in Tippah County, Mississippi (not complete).
Mississippi Marriages, 1826-1900 (requires a subscription to Ancestry.com) – Select counties and dates. Read the page description for original data sources listed by county.
Mississippi Marriage Records Index 1776-1935 (requires a subscription to Ancestry.com) – Partial index only. See the "about" section for details on counties and coverage.
Mississippi Divorce Records:
Dates: From January 1926
Cost of copy: $15.00 (index search only)
Comments: The State Vital Records department does not maintain divorce records. A five-year search of the divorce index is available for 1 January 1926 to 30 June 1938, and for 1 January 1942 to present for a fee of $15. This search only locates the county where the divorce was granted, the book, and the page number in the Chancery Clerk's office where it was recorded. The Chancery Clerk's office will need to be contacted directly in order to obtain a certified copy of the divorce decree.
