Office of Vital Records
- Certificates and Records Home
- About OVR
- Register a record
- OVR contacts
- County Office Contact Information
- Vital Records Rulemaking
Birth Records
- Birth certificates
- Noncertified birth records
- Change a birth record
- Birth records and adoption
- Birth records and paternity
- Stillbirth
Death Records
For Professionals
- Medical certifiers
- Funeral directors
- Hospital birth registrars
- County vital records offices
- Child support workers
- Training for Vital Records Professionals
Related Information
Confidential Birth Records
The birth record of a child born to unmarried parents is confidential. However, the mother may have chosen to make the record public at the time of birth.
The persons below may apply for confidential birth records.
- The subject of the birth record when the subject is 16 or more years old.
- Effective January 1, 2022: The age limit for confidential records does not apply to a homeless youth who presents a valid application and identity document.
- A parent named on the birth record.
- A legal guardian with a certified copy of guardianship papers.
- A person with a certified copy of a court order that releases the record to him/her.
- Representatives of Minnesota programs that administer child support, medical assistance, MinnesotaCare, and services under Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.23; Minnesota Statutes, chapter 260E; and, tribal child support programs, Minnesota Statutes, section 144.225, subdivision 2, paragraph (f).
To order a certificate, fill in the Birth Certificate Application (PDF) form. If you order by mail or fax, sign, and date the application in front of a notary public.
How are we doing?
Statutory Authority:
Minnesota Statutes, section 144.225, subdivision 2.