Born in Boston? We have your birth certificate
Boston has birth records from 1630 to present day. Birth certificates for recently born babies are available at Boston City Hall about two weeks after the baby’s paperwork is completed at the hospital.
If the parents weren’t married when the baby was born, the birth certificate becomes restricted. Only those listed on a restricted record can request it and you need to include a photocopy of your valid ID (a driver’s License, state ID, or passport).
In person certified copies are $12. We take cash, a check (with a valid photo ID), money order, credit, or debit card.
Prepare your request
Complete and print out a birth certificate request form.
Certificates cost $14 per copy. If you are requesting a copy dated before 1870, include an additional $10 research fee.
Pay by check or money order made payable to the City of Boston. Include a photocopy of a valid ID. Please also include a self-addressed stamped envelope so we can mail the copy back to you.
Send us your request
Mail your completed form, payment, self-addressed stamped envelope, and the photocopy of your ID to:
Registry Birth
1 City Hall Square, Room 213
Boston, MA 02201
Can't mail your request? You can also visit Boston City Hall.
Born in Boston? We have your birth certificate
Boston has birth records from 1630 to present day. Birth certificates for recently born babies are available at Boston City Hall about two weeks after the baby’s paperwork is completed at the hospital.
If the parents weren’t married when the baby was born, the birth certificate becomes restricted. Restricted means that only those listed on the birth record can get a copy of a restricted birth certificate, and you have to show a valid ID (a driver’s License, State ID, or passport).
In person certified copies are $12. We take cash, a check (with a valid photo ID), money order, credit, or debit card.
Go to Boston City Hall
Bring your $12 and completed birth certificate request form to the window labeled “Birth” at the Registry Division:
1 City Hall Square, Room 213
Boston, MA 02201-2006
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Or find the City Hall to Go truck (drop-offs only)
Instead of coming to City Hall, you can submit your birth certificate request, check or money order for $14 payable to the City of Boston, and copy of your ID with the truck. Check the City Hall to Go schedule.
If you go to the truck, we will mail the copy of the birth certificate to you in about five to seven business days.
- When you complete the Birth Certificate Request Form, check the box “Time of Birth Only.”
- You only need to pay $10 for this type of request.
We created a page that answers some of the common questions we hear.
Registry informationRegistry: Birth, death, and marriage
Massachusetts General Law only allows certain people to get a copy of a restricted birth certificate. If a record is restricted, only those people listed on the record can get a certified copy. Learn more about the law.
Legal guardians can get a copy of of a child’s birth certificate by showing their court order and a valid ID.
If you legally change your name, that does not change your name on your birth certificate. If you were adopted, your birth certificate after your adoption is the only copy we can give you.
If you require an Apostille, from the Mass. Secretary of State’s Office for international records, please let the Registry staff know that you will need a hand signature.
Want to fix or add information on a birth certificate? Call the Registry Depositions and Corrections Office at 617-635-4182 on weekdays, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For any other questions, please email us at registry@boston.gov. You can also check with the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records.