Certificate type comparison
Birth, death, and marriage certificates compared
Who may request each certificate type, and the 15 common reasons people order one — the three certificate-type pages side by side.
The records on this page come from the site's own two source datasets, the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 county codes file and the CDC NCHS “Where to Write for Vital Records” directory.
Who may request each certificate
| Certificate | Who may request it |
|---|---|
| Birth certificates | For a certified copy of a birth certificate, the requester is generally limited to the person named on the record, a parent listed on the record, a legal guardian, an adult child, a sibling, a spouse, or a legal representative acting on behalf of one of those parties. |
| Death certificates | Certified death certificates are typically released to the surviving spouse, a parent, a child or stepchild, a sibling, a grandparent or grandchild, a legal representative of the estate, or a person who can show a documented direct interest such as an insurer settling a claim. |
| Marriage certificates | Either spouse named on the marriage record, an adult child of the couple, a parent of either spouse, or a legal representative acting on behalf of one of the spouses may obtain a certified copy. |
Common reasons to order each certificate
| Certificate | Common reasons people order one |
|---|---|
| Birth certificates |
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| Death certificates |
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| Marriage certificates |
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