Procurement of Vital Records Massachusetts

Certified Copy of Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates

Where: VitalChek is the only Massachusetts  Vital Records authorized online service provider.  If you experience problems with the online ordering, please call VitalChek at 866-443-9897 for assistance between 7:00 am - 7:00 pm, Monday - Friday, except for recognized holidays.

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Office in Charge: : Mass.gov

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How do you order: There are Four (4) routes to applying for a Birth, Death and Marriage Certificate:

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• Online : Order A Record Online from www.VitalChek.com. Fees are $51.00 for the first copy and $42 per additional copy. There is  a two-week processing time. There is an optional overnight delivery fee of $19.50, and you should receive the record in 1-3 business days.

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• By Phone: Call VitalChek: (617) 740 2606 or toll free at (866) 300-8535

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• In-person: You can order certified records at the Registry counter Monday–Friday 8:45 a.m.–4:45 p.m. You will be asked to pay by check or money order. Located at  150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125

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• By Mail: Send your completed vital records mail order form and a check or money order payable to Commonwealth of Massachusetts to: 150 Mount Vernon St., 1st Floor, Dorchester, MA 02125

Orders will be processed within 30 business days of receipt. To get your order within 7–10 business days, address your envelope to the attention of Expedited Mail Service. Refer to the Vital Records Service Fees (PDF) l (DOC) for expedited shipping fees.

Years Available: Copies of vital records that occurred in Massachusetts from 1931 to the present can be requested via the above methods. Records for events that occurred from 1841–1930 are available from the State Archives.

If your anchor ancestor was born 1930 and prior Certified copies of births, marriages, and deaths from 1841 to 1930 can be ordered in person, through the mail, or over email. The cost is $3.00 per certificate. Please complete a Certified Vital Records Order Form (PDF) for each unique certificate you are requesting and email it to us at archives@sec.state.ma.us or print and mail it to us at:

Massachusetts Archives

220 Morrissey Blvd.

Boston, MA 02125

Attn: Certified Vitals

Requirements for ordering:

You must complete the following requirements to receive a certificate:

• The subject’s name
• Date of the event
• Place of the event
• Proof of your identification (ID)

• Acceptable forms of ID: Preferably a driver’s license (even expired) or Government issued Photo ID

You may also be required to provide documentation showing how your relation to the subject of the record, if you're a legal guardian or representative.

Who can apply for a birth or death certificate?

• Massachusetts General Law only allows certain people to get a copy of a restricted birth, marriage, or death certificate. If a record is restricted, only those people listed on the record can get a certified copy.
• You need a court order to get a restricted record when you are not listed on the record. Learn about this law.

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