New York birth, death, marriage and divorce records: where to look
New York is two systems. The State Department of Health covers everything outside the five boroughs of New York City, from 1881; New York City records come from the city. Older New York City records are digitized by the NYC Municipal Archives.
At a glance
| Record | Years at the state | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | Since 1881 outside NYC. The state does not hold Albany, Buffalo or Yonkers records before January 1, 1914; ask the local registrar. [2][6] | $30 by mail. $45 online or by phone, plus the vendor's processing fee per transaction. [2] |
| Death | Since 1881 outside NYC. [3] | $30 by mail; $45 online or by phone plus the vendor's fee per transaction. [3] |
| Marriage | Since 1881 for licenses bought outside NYC. [4] | $30 by mail; $45 online or by phone plus the vendor's fee per transaction. [4] |
| Divorce | Divorces granted on or after January 1, 1963. Before that, only the decree exists. [5] | $30 by mail; $45 online or by phone plus the vendor's fee per transaction. [5] |
Superscript numbers point to the official page each fact came from, listed at the bottom of this page.
Birth records
- Where it is kept
- State Department of Health for all of New York except New York City. The five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island) use NYC records. [1][2]
- Years covered
- Since 1881 outside NYC. The state does not hold Albany, Buffalo or Yonkers records before January 1, 1914; ask the local registrar. [2][6]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The person named, or a parent named on the certificate. A spouse, child or anyone else needs a New York State court order. [2]
- Fee
- $30 by mail. $45 online or by phone, plus the vendor's processing fee per transaction. [2]
- Processing time
- The state page says it is "currently experiencing significant delays" and gives no figure. [2]
Death records
- Where it is kept
- State Department of Health outside NYC; NYC deaths come from the city. [3]
- Years covered
- Since 1881 outside NYC. [3]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The spouse, parent, child or sibling; others who can document a lawful right or claim or a medical need; or by court order. [3]
- Fee
- $30 by mail; $45 online or by phone plus the vendor's fee per transaction. [3]
- Processing time
- The state page says there are "significant delays" and gives no figure. [3]
Marriage records
- Where it is kept
- State Department of Health for licenses bought outside NYC; copies are also available from the town or city clerk where the license was issued. [4]
- Years covered
- Since 1881 for licenses bought outside NYC. [4]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The spouses, or others who document a judicial or other proper purpose, or by court order. [4]
- Fee
- $30 by mail; $45 online or by phone plus the vendor's fee per transaction. [4]
- Processing time
- The state page says there are "significant delays" and gives no figure. [4]
Divorce records
- Where it is kept
- State Department of Health holds the certificate of dissolution for the whole state including NYC. The decree itself comes from the County Clerk. [1][5]
- Years covered
- Divorces granted on or after January 1, 1963. Before that, only the decree exists. [5]
- Who can get a certified copy
- Either spouse, or by court order. [5]
- Fee
- $30 by mail; $45 online or by phone plus the vendor's fee per transaction. [5]
- Processing time
- The state page says there are "significant delays" and gives no figure. [5]
Genealogy copies from the state
For family history the state provides uncertified copies if a birth certificate has been on file at least 75 years and the person is known to be deceased, a death certificate at least 50 years, or a marriage certificate at least 50 years with both spouses known to be deceased. These time periods are waived for direct-line descendants who prove the relationship and the death. [6]
New York City records
The NYC Municipal Archives hosts Historical Vital Records of NYC: digitized birth, death and marriage records dating from 1855 to 1950, which you can search, browse, download or order as certified copies. For newer records the Archives sends you to the NYC Department of Health (births after 1909 and deaths after 1950) and the NYC City Clerk's Office (marriages after 1949). Certified copies for legal purposes require choosing "I need a Letter of Exemplification" on the order form, and the record must be mailed. [7]
NYC Municipal Archives: genealogy and historical vital records
New York City: fees and eligibility
The NYC Health Department issues birth certificates for people born in the five boroughs; the state does not. Each certificate is $15 plus a processing fee: $9.30 online, $7.50 by mail, $2.75 in person (UPS express is an extra $21 online). Online orders are only open to a person named on the record; processing is two to three weeks online or by mail, plus up to two more weeks for long-form births, births from 1910 to 1919, deaths from 1951 to 1970 and other searches. You may apply if you were born in NYC and are listed on the certificate (or are 18 or older). Relatives of a deceased person (spouse, domestic partner, child, sibling, niece or nephew, aunt or uncle, grandchild, grandniece or grandnephew, great-grandchild, and a parent if the deceased was 18 or younger) can order by mail only. Births before 1910 are handled by the Municipal Archives. The city says VitalChek is its only authorized online vendor for birth and death certificates. City Clerk marriage records cover licenses issued from 1950: $15 for the first short-form copy and $10 for each additional, 4 to 6 weeks by mail. Records under 50 years old go to a spouse, someone with notarized permission, an attorney, a person holding both spouses' death certificates, or someone with a judicial or other proper purpose; older records are open to the public. [9][10][11]
NYC Health: birth certificates NYC311: City Clerk marriage records
About ordering online
The "Order Online" button on the state's birth, death, marriage and divorce pages goes to a vendor (VitalChek). Mail ordering through the state form costs less ($30 instead of $45 plus vendor fee). We link the state's own pages so you can see both options. [2]
Archives and other places to look
- The NYC Municipal Archives collection of digitized NYC births, deaths and marriages (1855 to 1950) is the main online source for the five boroughs. The page says you can search, browse and download; it does not state a price for downloads or certified copies. [7] NYC Municipal Archives: genealogy
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 New York.
Historical newspapers
The Library of Congress's Chronicling America lists 59 digitized newspaper titles published in New York, with issues dated from January 2, 1775 to March 31, 1953. 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 New York 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
- State records start in 1881 and exclude New York City.
- Divorce certificates start January 1, 1963 and include NYC divorces.
- Fees: $30 by mail, $45 online or by phone plus vendor fee.
- NYC Municipal Archives has digitized vital records for 1855 to 1950.
- NYC (not state) fees: certificates $15 plus a processing fee; City Clerk marriage records from 1950.
Could not verify
- NYC death-certificate eligibility and fee details beyond the fees page, and the City Clerk's divorce-related services. We read the NYC Health fees and birth pages and the 311 marriage page, not a separate NYC death page.
- Processing times. The state says delays are significant but gives no number.
- Any state-archive source for New York. The New York State Archives page returned 404 / 500 to us.
- A free FamilySearch collection for New York. We could not open FamilySearch's pages.
- Whether the Municipal Archives charges for downloads or certified copies.
Sources
- NYS Department of Health: Vital records home Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYS Department of Health: Birth certificates Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYS Department of Health: Death certificates Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYS Department of Health: Marriage certificates Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYS Department of Health: Divorce certificates Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYS Department of Health: Genealogy records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYC Department of Records: Genealogy and historical vital records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYC Municipal Archives Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYC Health: birth and death records fees Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYC Health: birth certificates Official state page read 2026-10-27
- NYC311: City Clerk marriage records Official state page read 2026-10-27