Birth Certificates

BIRTH CERTIFICATES

 

The Clerk is the Local Registrar for all births, marriages and deaths occurring within the County.

The Clerk provides same day issuance of certifications of all vital records to qualified applicants. The birth records date back to 1878 

The Clerk’s office will only have the vital records on file for events that occur within Christian County. If you reside within Christian County but your child was born at a hospital in Springfield or Decatur, your child’s record will be on file in Sangamon or Macon county. All vital records for events from 1916 forward are also on file with the State Department of Public Health’s Division of Vital Records. For general information on the availability of records and for frequently asked questions, click here to access the Illinois Department of Public Health’s website.

You can do a preliminary search of records to verify that we have the record before you call by clicking here (Preliminary Search) or make a request online through the ORO (Official Records Online) portal by clicking here.  

 

Eligibility for Certifications of Birth Records

Before a request for a certification or certified copy can be considered, you must specify your eligibility to obtain it. Illinois law states that certifications or certified copies of birth records may be issued only as listed below:

Upon the specific written request for a certification or certified copy by the person whose record is requested, if of legal age (18 or older); or by a parent, if listed on the birth record; or by a legal guardian, with proof of guardianship; or other legal representative of the person to whom the record relates, with notarized proof of authority; or upon the order of a court of record.

To be eligible for a birth record, one of the following must be applicable:

  • You are 18 years of age or older and the person named on the vital record
  • Parent – if your name is on the vital record as the mother or father
  • Legal guardian – you must have guardianship papers signed by a judge
  • Possess a court order authorizing you access to the vital record
  • Legal Representative or Power of Attorney with paperwork stating specifically you have the right to access the vital record

Acceptable forms of identification include:

  • Valid driver’s license
  • Driver’s license that is no more than six months expired and documentation with your current name and address (not available for online orders).
  • Valid State-Issued ID
  • Firearm Owner’s ID card (FOID) with the hologram
  • Valid US passport
  • Valid Military ID

or THREE of the following:

  • Valid Voter Registration Card.
  • W2 Form (Most Recent)
  • Valid Public Assistance Medical Card
  • Bank Statement (Most Recent)
  • Utility bills or postmarked mail with your name printed on it.
    • MUST have been received in the the last 30 days
  • Vehicle Registration Card
  • Recent Voided Check
  • Recent Credit Card Statement
  • Recent Paycheck Stub with Name and Address

If you are eligible, please indicate on the application your relationship to the person registered AND your intended use of the copy. Return the application to our office with the appropriate fees and proof of identification and eligibility. If you are mailing this request to us, you must attach a CLEAR photocopy of either a state-issued ID or driver’s license and any documentation (if needed) as proof of eligibility. We will mail the record directly to you at your home address, as indicated on your proof of identification. We will not forward the record to a third party. Nor will we mail it to any address other than that indicated on your I.D. unless a clear explanation of why this is necessary is provided in your request.

This office will release a birth record to your current spouse provided the following conditions are met. A written authorization (from the party whose record is to be issued) specifying that they are sending their current spouse to retrieve the record is to be sent with them. Along with that authorization, they must send a photocopy of their current driver’s license or state issued ID as proof that they are indeed making the request.

In Office or By Mail: 

                                     1st Copy         Additional Copies

Certified Birth Record        $18.00               $6.00

Click here to download the Application For Certified Birth Certificate form.  You may mail or bring this form into our office with a valid ID.

Cash, Check, and Money Order accepted in the office – NO DEBIT OR CREDIT CARDS.

Online:

                                   1st Copy         Additional Copies    *Service Fee

Certified Birth Record      $18.00               $6.00                               $10.00

Click here to request Certified Birth Certificates from Official Records Online (ORO) Portal.  A ten dollar additional fee will be charged for this service. All major credit cards and debit cards are accepted.

*Please Note:  The Service Fee remains only $10.00 whether you order one or more documents at the same time.  Once the transaction is completed, future orders will again charge an additional $10.00 Service Fee.

 

 

Vital Records Guideline

The Christian County Clerk’s Office will only release certified copies or certifications of vital records, upon written request, to individuals who are authorized or entitled to receive them. To do otherwise is a violation of Illinois Law. Vital records are not considered public information, nor are they subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

NOTE: Any person who, willfully and knowingly uses or attempts to use, or furnishes to another to use, for any purpose of deception, any certificate, record, report, or certified copy thereof so made, altered, amended, or mutilated; or Any person who with the intention to deceive, willfully uses or attempts to use any certificate of birth or certified copy of a record of birth knowing that such certificate or certified copy was issued upon a record that is false in whole or in part or that relates to the birth of another person, is guilty of a Class 4 felony in the State of Illinois.

Eligibility for “Genealogical” — White Non-Certified Copies
This office will issue these copies for genealogical purposes, subject to staff availability during the time leading up to any election. The indexes (for all vital records on file prior to 1916) are open to the public. All searches after 1916 must be done by our staff. The fee for this copy is $5 for the first copy of a record and $2 for any additional copies of the same record, if you have all of the information provided on your request. All genealogical copies will be clearly marked with a “Genealogical Purposes Only” stamp.

Births
In order to receive a non-certified birth record, the record must have been on file for at least 75 years. If the record has been on file for less than 100 years, and the person is now deceased, you must complete an Application for Search of Birth Record Files for a Deceased Individual and provide us with proof of their death. If the record has been on file for 100 years or more, we do not require proof of death, but you must still complete the special application.

 

Additional Resources