Maine - How to obtain a Birth Certificate

ProcedureEdit

In PersonEdit

You may directly go with complete application with a payment by cash or check payable to "Treasurer - State of Maine".

Vital Records is located at 220 Capitol Street in Augusta, Maine.

By MailEdit

You may also send your request through the mail with payment by check or money order. Make sure to enclose a copy of your photo ID and a long, self-addressed, STAMPED envelope with your request.

Mail your request to:

Vital Records

11 State House Station

220 Capitol Street

Augusta, ME 04333-0011

Online (VitalChek)Edit

Maine Vital Records does not accept credit cards or online orders; however, for your convenience, you can process online requests through an independent company that the State have partnered with to provide you this service - VitalChek is an official service, authorized by Maine Vital Records, to securely order certified Maine vital records, like birth certificates. Other online services may not be authorized by Maine Vital Records, and may charge additional fees without providing approved services or guaranteeing confidentiality of your data.

Go online and simply follow the steps to place an order. An additional fee is charged by VitalChek for using this service and all major credit cards are accepted. You will receive an e-mail notification once your certificate is shipped. If your shipment is via UPS, you will also receive the UPS tracking number.

VitalChek can be reached either through its website, www.vitalchek.com, or by phone at 1-877-523-2659.

Required DocumentsEdit

Drivers license
Passport or
Other government issued photo identification.

If you do not have acceptable photo identification, you may present two items with your name on it from the following list:

a utility bill,
a bank statement,
a car registration,
a copy of an income tax return,
a personal check with address,
a previously issued vital record or marriage license,
a letter from a government agency requesting
a vital record (for example, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services),
a Department of Corrections identification card,
a Social Security card, a DD214,
a hospital birth worksheet,
a license or rental agreement,
a pay stub (W-2),
a voter registration card,
a Social Security disability award letter,
a Medicare or Medicaid insurance card, and
a school or employee photo ID.
Other forms of identification listing your name, date of birth, and address may also be considered.

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

Maine Department of Health and Human Services
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC)
Division of Public Health Systems
Data, Research, and Vital Statistics
11 State House Station
220 Capitol Street
Augusta, ME 04333-0011

Telephone: (207) 287-5500
E-mail: [email protected]
FAX: (207)287-5470

Website

Certificates may also be obtained from your local county. Use the contact information below to inquire.

Androscoggin County : County Courthouse 2 Turner Auburn, ME 04210
Phone: 207.784.8390

Aroostook County : 144 Swenden Street Caribou, ME 04736
Phone: 207.493.3318

Cumberland County : 142 Federal Street Portland, ME 04101-4151
Phone: 207.871.8380

Franklin County : 38 Main Street Farmington, ME 04938
Phone: 207.778.6614

Hancock County : 50 State Street Ellsworth, ME 04605
Phone: 207.667.9542

Kennebec County : 95 State Street Augusta, ME 04330-5611
Phone: 207.622.0971

Knox County : 62 Union Street PO Box 885 Rockland, ME 04841-0885
Phone: 207.594.9379

Lincoln County : High Street PO Box 249 Wiscasset, ME 04578-0000
Phone: 207.882.6311

Oxford County : 26 Western Ave PO Box 179 South Paris, ME 04281
Phone: 207.743.6359

Penobscot County : 97 Hammond Street Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: 207.942.8535

Piscataquis County : 51 E. Main StreetDover-Foxcroft, ME 04426
Phone: 207.564.2161

Sagadahoc County : PO Box 246 Bath, ME 04530-0246
Phone: 207.443.8200

Somerset County : Skowhegan, ME 04976
Phone: 207.474.9861

Waldo County : 73 Church Street Belfast, ME 04915-1705
Phone: 207.338.3282

Washington County : PO Box 297 Machias, ME 04654-0297
Phone: 207.255.3127

York County : 45 Kennebank Road Alfred, ME 04002
Phone: 207.324.1571

EligibilityEdit

Those authorized to view or obtain a copy of a vital record include:

The person named on the record,
The person's spouse or registered domestic partner,
The parent(s) named on the record,
Descendants of the person named on the record (including children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren to the most remote degree),
The legal custodian, guardian, or authorized representative of the person named on the record, and
Genealogists who have a researcher card issued by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Data, Research and Vital Statistics.

Effective July 12, 2010, all individuals requesting copies of these records must present positive identification and, if requesting the record of a parent or grandparent and you are not a registered genealogist, proof of direct lineage.

Registered genealogists may only obtain a non-certified copy of a record, unless they can meet the above requirements for obtaining a certified copy. They may only view or obtain a copy of a birth record.

Note: Birth records 75 years or older, marriage records 50 years or older, death records 25 years or older and fetal deaths 50 years or older are considered public records and informational copies can be issued to anyone requesting them.

FeesEdit

In person/Mail

Certified copy: $15.00 and $6.00 for each additional copy
Non-Certified copy: $10.00 and $6.00 for each additional copy

Online (VitalChek)/Phone/Fax

Certified copy: $15.00 and $6.00 for each additional copy

ValidityEdit

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to UseEdit

Please attach documents which can be used by people who would like to follow this procedure.

Sample DocumentsEdit

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Processing TimeEdit

In person: 24 hour turnaround time for all requests made in person, you can have your records mailed to you, or you can pick them up the following business day.

InstructionsEdit

The Maine Division of Vital Records (Maine Vital Records) issues certified and non certified copies of Maine birth certificates for events which occurred within the State of Maine from 1923 to the present.
Records prior to 1923 are located at the Maine State Archives
Checks can be made out to Treasurer - State of Maine.
If you would like to pay for your order with a credit card, you may order on-line at www.vitalchek.com

Required InformationEdit

Name at birth First, Middle and Last name
Date of Birth
City of Birth
Parish of Birth
Father's name
Mother's full maiden name before marriage
Relationship to Person Named on the Certificate
Name of the Applicant
Day Phone
Residence Address and Mailing address
Reason for requesting the certificate

Need for the DocumentEdit

A Birth Certificate states the name and sex of a person, it also indicate the time and place of birth, it is issued after you have registered the birth of a child. A copy of the birth certificate is often necessary when you apply for a passport, a driver license or a marriage license.

Following are procedures on how you can obtain a birth certificate in Maine.

Information which might helpEdit

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External LinksEdit

Maine Division of Public Health Systems

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mecdc/public-health-systems/data-research/vital-records/order/index.shtml

VitalChek

http://www.vitalchek.com/birth-certificates/maine/maine-vital-records

OthersEdit

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