Vital Records

Order your Vital Record online here with ePAY –
one-time payment option with a credit/debit card

                             ONLY Cash, Check, and Money Order accepted in the office.

Getting Married?
Start the process online here and complete it when you visit the County Clerk’s office

                             $75 cash required in the office at the time of issuance

Vital Records Fee Schedule

Effective June 1, 2017

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 and death records date back to 1878 and our marriages date back to 1839.

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 below on the link to the State’s website.

* If a record is searched, but not located, we will charge the search fee of $10 per record.

Additional Resources

Application For Vital Records

Marriage and Civil Union Licenses

As of June 1, 2014 the Christian County Clerk is issuing same sex marriage licenses and the option to convert an existing Civil Union License on file in Christian County to a Marriage License. The application fee for a marriage license remains $75 cash at this time. There is no charge for the conversion of an existing Christian County Civil Union to a marriage license if done prior to June 1, 2015. If you have further questions regarding the implementation of the Religious Freedom and Marriage Equality Act please call the Clerk’s Office at 217/824-4969 Monday through Friday from 8:00 A.m. through 4:00 p.m.

The County Clerk’s Office now offers for your convenience an online application for either a Marriage License or a Civil Union License. Applicants complete all necessary information online and then submit their application for review. Both parties must still appear in person to pay the fees and sign the applications and provide all necessary identification and supporting documentation. Apply online for either a marriage license or a civil union license.

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 Certifications of Records

Births

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

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.

Deaths & Marriage Licenses
You must complete an application, provide proof of identity and pay the appropriate fees. The marriage application is only open to the Bride & Groom.

All Government Agencies
Upon specific written request for a certification by a department of the state, a municipal corporation, or the federal government. This request must be presented on an official letterhead and with proper identification of the individual making the request. All of the regular requirements would still apply. We will provide verification a record is on file. We will provide the VA with Death records if a written request on their letterhead is made stating the record is needed to allocate benefits. All other requests for certifications should be submitted to the Illinois Department of Vital Records.

Our office issues certifications of Births & Marriages and certified photocopies of Death records. If you need a certified photocopy of a Birth or a Marriage record, you will need to specify why a certification is not sufficient for your needs. Both are recognized by law as certified sealed records.

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.

Death & Marriage Licenses
These records must be on file for at least 20 years prior to request. You must complete the application and provide proof of your identity and pay the appropriate fees.