Massachusetts birth, death, marriage and divorce records: where to look
Massachusetts issues certified copies from its Registry in Dorchester, and the state itself says you cannot browse vital records online there. Older records (1841 to 1935) sit with the Massachusetts Archives, which sells certified copies for $3 each. The Archives also has a citation index for 1841 to 1910.
At a glance
| Record | Years at the state | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | The Registry's page does not give a start year. It says records of births, marriages and deaths from 1931 through 1935 were recently transferred to the Massachusetts Archives, and that pre-1936 records may also be at the city or town. [1] | In person $20 per copy; by mail $32 per copy; online or by phone $54 for the first copy and $42 for each additional copy. The online and phone prices are what the state's page lists for its VitalChek order. [1] |
| Death | Same page and same note as births: 1931 to 1935 moved to the Massachusetts Archives; the page gives no earliest year. [1] | Same fees as births: $20 in person, $32 by mail, $54 then $42 online or by phone. [1] |
| Marriage | Not stated on the Registry page beyond the 1931 to 1935 transfer and the pre-1936 town note. [1] | Same fees as births. [1] |
| Divorce | Not confirmed on the official pages we read. | Not confirmed on the official pages we read. |
| Older records (Archives) | Certified copies of births, marriages and deaths from 1841 to 1935. The Archives' search page gives citations for 1841 to 1910 and mentions certified copies for 1841 to 1925; the Reference Services page says 1841 to 1935. [2][3] | $3.00 per certified certificate, by cash or check (no credit cards). Up to five certificates per order. Digital images through FamilySearch are described as available (we did not read FamilySearch's own page). [2] |
Superscript numbers point to the official page each fact came from, listed at the bottom of this page.
Birth records
- Where it is kept
- The Registry of Vital Records and Statistics in Dorchester (in person, mail, or online through VitalChek, the vendor the state's page links). Pre-1936 births may also be at the city or town where the birth happened. [1]
- Years covered
- The Registry's page does not give a start year. It says records of births, marriages and deaths from 1931 through 1935 were recently transferred to the Massachusetts Archives, and that pre-1936 records may also be at the city or town. [1]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The page lists restricted groups (for example, births to unwed parents are limited to the child, parents, a father not listed with paternity documents, or a legal guardian or representative). It says you may need to show how you are related. It does not give a plain rule for ordinary births. [1]
- Fee
- In person $20 per copy; by mail $32 per copy; online or by phone $54 for the first copy and $42 for each additional copy. The online and phone prices are what the state's page lists for its VitalChek order. [1]
- Processing time
- The state says most orders are filled in 2 to 3 weeks. Mail orders are processed within 30 business days of receipt (7 to 10 business days if sent to the Expedited Mail Service). [1]
The state says only certified copies are issued, whatever the use, and that it keeps indexes only on site. If it cannot find the record it sends a Negative Statement.
Death records
- Where it is kept
- The Registry in Dorchester, or the city or town where the death happened for pre-1936 records. [1]
- Years covered
- Same page and same note as births: 1931 to 1935 moved to the Massachusetts Archives; the page gives no earliest year. [1]
- Who can get a certified copy
- Deaths with a Social Security number on the record are restricted to listed relatives and others (spouse or domestic partner, parent, child, grandchild, grandparent, sibling, the informant, a funeral director listed on the record, an estate representative, and some others). The state says a law effective July 1, 2026 limits release of the full SSN to people with a legitimate need. [1]
- Fee
- Same fees as births: $20 in person, $32 by mail, $54 then $42 online or by phone. [1]
- Processing time
- Same as births (2 to 3 weeks typical). [1]
Marriage records
- Where it is kept
- The Registry in Dorchester. Pre-1936 marriage records may be at the city or town where the marriage intentions were filed. [1]
- Years covered
- Not stated on the Registry page beyond the 1931 to 1935 transfer and the pre-1936 town note. [1]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The page says access to the marriage record of a person born to unwed parents is limited to the bride, groom, legal representative, parents or legal guardians. It gives no general rule for other marriages. [1]
- Fee
- Same fees as births. [1]
- Processing time
- Same as births. [1]
Divorce records
- Where it is kept
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Years covered
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Who can get a certified copy
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Fee
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
The Registry's order page is about birth, marriage and death certificates only. We did not find a divorce-record page on an official Massachusetts site this session.
Older records (Archives)
- Where it is kept
- Massachusetts Archives, 220 Morrissey Blvd, Boston: in person, by mail, or by email. [2]
- Years covered
- Certified copies of births, marriages and deaths from 1841 to 1935. The Archives' search page gives citations for 1841 to 1910 and mentions certified copies for 1841 to 1925; the Reference Services page says 1841 to 1935. [2][3]
- Who can get a certified copy
- Reference Services says its collections are public records, open to all, though some materials may be restricted for privacy. [2]
- Fee
- $3.00 per certified certificate, by cash or check (no credit cards). Up to five certificates per order. Digital images through FamilySearch are described as available (we did not read FamilySearch's own page). [2]
- Processing time
- Orders can take up to 12 weeks. If a record is not found, the Archives says it refunds the payment. [2]
The Archives pages disagree about the end year for certified copies (1925 on the search page, 1935 on Reference Services). Ask them before you order a record from 1926 to 1935.
Archives Reference Services Archives 1841-1910 citation search
About ordering online
The state's page sends online orders to VitalChek, a company the state names as its ordering vendor. Online and phone orders cost $54 for the first copy by the state's own list. Ordering in person costs $20 and by mail $32. [1]
Archives and other places to look
- The Massachusetts Archives says digital images of original birth, marriage and death records are available through FamilySearch. It also gives a free citation search for 1841 to 1910. [2][3] Archives Reference Services
The National Archives describes FamilySearch.org as free with account creation (see our census page), but we could not open FamilySearch's own pages, so we do not describe what it holds for Massachusetts.
Historical newspapers
The Library of Congress's Chronicling America lists 32 digitized newspaper titles published in Massachusetts, with issues dated from August 23, 1770 to April 20, 1957. Coverage is uneven inside that span: it is a list of titles, not a promise that every town or year is there. Chronicling America includes select digitized newspapers through 1963.
Browse Massachusetts titles at the Library of Congress
New to newspaper research? See our guide to finding old newspapers (obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements).
Counts come from the Library of Congress's "All Digitized Titles" list, read October 27, 2026. The Library of Congress says it believes these newspapers are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions.
How we verified this page
Last verified October 27, 2026. Offices change fees and rules without notice. If something here no longer matches the official page, trust the official page.
Confirmed on official pages
- In person $20, by mail $32, online or phone $54 first copy and $42 each added copy.
- Most Registry orders are filled in 2 to 3 weeks; mail orders are processed within 30 business days.
- The Registry says it issues only certified copies and has no online index.
- The Massachusetts Archives sells certified copies of 1841 to 1935 records at $3 each, up to five per order, check or cash only.
- The Registry says records from 1931 to 1935 were transferred to the Archives.
Could not verify
- The earliest year the Registry itself holds. The page does not say.
- A plain eligibility rule for ordinary birth, death and marriage certificates. The page lists restrictions but no general list.
- Divorce records. We found no divorce page on an official Massachusetts site.
- Whether the Archives' certified copies end in 1925 or 1935. Its pages disagree.
- Any detail from FamilySearch's own pages; we did not open them.
- mass.gov blocks automatic page reads, so the order page was read through a fetch tool and saved as raw/ma_order_webfetch.txt.
Pages read 2026-10-27.
Sources
- Mass.gov: Order a birth, marriage, or death certificate Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Massachusetts Archives: Reference Services Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Massachusetts Archives: Vital Records Search (1841 to 1910 citations) Official state page read 2026-10-27