Office of Vital Records - FAQs

COVID-19 and How can I get the birth or death certificate I need?

Is Nevada's Vital Records open to the public?

Yes, Nevada's Vital Records is open to the public.
The fastest way to obtain a birth or death record is by ordering online through Vitalchek.com or by calling Vital Chek at 877-456-5410.

You may schedule an advanced appointment in our Carson City office. To request an appointment, please email our Customer Service Desk.

Please be advised that if you arrive without an appointment, our office must prioritize advanced appointments. You may experience longer than normal wait times.
In the interest of safety, only one family will be allowed into the Vital Records lobby at a time. Please limit the number of people coming to an appointment to the absolute minimum.
Genealogical Searches - Appointments are required. Each appointment is a maximum of 30 minutes and each name (or variant) searched is $10.
For Amendments and Corrections - Adoption orders and Correction packets may be mailed in or placed in our exterior drop-box.
Declarations of Paternity are done by appointment and must be signed in our Carson City or Southern Nevada Health District offices.

What are the hours of operation for the Office of Vital Records?

Monday through Friday: 8am to 5pm. Excluding state holidays. 

Birth & Death Certificate Questions

How do I obtain a certified copy of a birth or death certificate?

To order online, please visit VitalChek.com or through Vital Chek by phone at 877-456-5410.

To request an advanced appointment in our Carson City office, please email our Customer Service Desk.  

To order by mail, please complete an application for a birth or death record and send in the proper identification and payment. 

What is the cost for certified copies of birth and death records?

Certified copies of a birth certificate are $25 each.
Certified copies of a death certificate are $25 each if the death occurred in the following counties: Carson, Clark, Douglas, Lyon, Mineral or Washoe.
Certified copies of a death certificate are $22 each if the death occurred in any other Nevada County.

How do I get a certified copy of a Fetal Demise?

A Fetal Demise or Stillbirth record is created when a birth takes place after 20 weeks and shows no signs of life. Information about the event is recorded for statistical purposes by federal and state law (NRS 440.340).

A certified copy of a Still Birth is available in-person from the State Office of Vital Records in Carson City. They are not legally binding and are issued on a case by case basis for a fee of $25.00.

What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept checks, money orders, cashier's checks and credit cards. DO NOT send cash via mail.

To pay by credit card you must:

  1. Use the Authorization for Credit Card Use
  2. A copy of the card holder's driver's license

Cash is only accepted in person at the customer service window.

How do I obtain my child's social security number?

The State of Nevada only transmits your request for a social security number for your child when the birth record is registered. Once the request has been transmitted, the State of Nevada has no way to determine the status of your child's number. 

Please call the Social Security Administration directly for more information at (888)808-5481.

Can I order online?

Yes.

The only online vendor we use is vitalchek.com. 

NOTICE OF FRAUD

The Department of Health has received increased number of calls about third-party vendors selling birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. These companies charge customers high fees to “process” or “help apply” for certificates issued from the Department of Health. If you have ordered through one of these third-party companies and would like to file a consumer complaint, please call the State of Nevada Attorney General Bureau of Consumer Protection at (702) 486-3132 or toll free at (888) 434-9989. For more information please visit their website at the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

I overpaid. How can I get my money back?

You will need to fill out the refund form and mail it in. Please call us at (775)684-4242 and leave a message so we can send you the refund form that is filled out for you.

Surrogacy and Assisted Conception

How does Surrogacy work under Nevada Law?

Please note that Surrogacy Cases requires a Certified Court Order from the State of Nevada per Nevada law.  

Out of State Court Orders will not be accepted. 

If you have any questions, please email at vitalrecords@health.nv.gov. 

NRS 440.319  Certificate of birth: Effect of gestational agreement.

      1.  Whenever the State Registrar receives an order issued by a district court in this State pursuant to subsection 4 of NRS 126.720 validating a gestational agreement and declaring the intended parent or parents to be the parent or parents of the resulting child, the State Registrar shall prepare and file a certificate of birth in the name of the child which shows the intended parent or parents as the parent or parents of the child and seal and file the order and the original certificate of birth, if any. Unless the court order is issued by a district court in this State for an action which was originally commenced in this State, a court order concerning a gestational agreement is not valid for any purpose in this State as it relates to a child born in this State, including, without limitation, the preparation and filing of a certificate of birth by the State Registrar.

      2.  As used in this section:

      (a) "Gestational agreement" has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 126.570.

      (b) "Intended parent" has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 126.590.

      (Added to NRS by 2015, 780)

Marriage and Divorce

Where can I get a copy of my marriage license or divorce decree?

Marriage certificates and divorce decrees are held at the county level.
For certified copies of marriage certificates or divorce decrees, please contact the county where the event occurred.
For a list of county offices, please visit the State of Nevada's Office of Vital Records forms page.

What Marriage and Divorce records does the Office of Vital Records have?

The Office of Vital Records can search for and verify marriage or divorce events occurring after 1968 until September 2005 and from 2015 to current. The Office of Vital Records can search for an event, if you submit a request containing the full name(s) of the person whose record you are searching for, the approximate date of the event and the city and/or county where you believe the event occurred.

How much does it cost to search for a marriage or divorce event?

The fee for verification of a record is $10.00 for each name searched.

Please note: the record search does NOT include a certified copy of the marriage license or divorce decree.
The application for the marriage or divorce record search can be found at the State of Nevada's Office of Vital Records forms page.
To obtain a certified copy of a marriage license or divorce decree, please contact the county where the event occurred.

 

Corrections

Where can I get the corrections packet?

The complete corrections packet for birth, death, and fetal death are located at the State of Nevada's Office of Vital Records Forms page. 

 

How much does a correction cost?

The corrections process costs $45.00 as of October 29, 2019. 

What is included in the correction fee?

The correction fee covers:

  1. The cost of processing the correction
  2. One certified copy 

The corrected certified copy is mailed to the address on the first page of the corrections packet. 

What are the most common reasons for a corrections packet to be rejected?

Here are the most common reasons for a corrections to be rejected

  1. The fee is not included
  2. Line 9 "Why is the correction necessary?" is blank
  3. There are write overs, cross-outs and white outs on the forms
  4. The notary crossed out and initialed a handwritten error
  5. No evidence was submitted
  6. The person who singed the affidavit also signed the supplemental. They cannot be the same person. The person signing the supplemental is swearing that what the person who signed the main affidavit is right.

How long does a correction take?

If the correction packet is complete, please allow 4 weeks to receive your corrected certificate.