New Hampshire Birth Records

Are Birth Records Public in New Hampshire?

No. Birth certificates and records - as with other records of vital events, like the New Hampshire marriage certificates, death records, and divorce certificates - are deemed private under Section 5-C:9 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes. Access is permitted only to qualified persons who can show a "direct and tangible interest" in a birth record. For example, the person named on the birth record or their immediate family members.

However, there is an exception that allows the public to access New Hampshire birth records after a while. According to RSA 5-C:10, New Hampshire birth records more than 100 years old are released in the public domain. These records are considered public birth records (or genealogical records) and are accessible from the vital statistics offices to anyone.

What are Birth Records in New Hampshire?

A birth record is a document that contains information regarding a person's birth and the circumstances surrounding the birth event. New Hampshire birth records document all birth events that occur within the state.

From the early 1600s, town clerks began keeping records of births occurring in each town or city in New Hampshire. However, in 1866, statewide birth recording started, but overall compliance was low. The New Hampshire Division of Vital Records Administration%20in%20Concord.) (DVRA) was created in 1905 to enforce the total compliance of statewide birth registrations. Hence, in New Hampshire, birth records are maintained at the state and town level.

A person's birth record in New Hampshire has, at the minimum, the following information:

• Full name as given at birth
• Gender
• Place of Birth
• Date of Birth
• Mother's maiden name
• Full names of parents
• Birth registration number, and date and place of birth
• Type of birth

In New Hampshire, a person must provide a birth record to apply for a driver's license, enroll in school, and obtain social security. It is also proof of citizenship and identity.

Where to Find Public Birth Records in New Hampshire

Members of the public can find New Hampshire public birth records at the offices of government agencies authorized by law to preserve records of vital events. These are the 234 city or town clerk's offices (requests should be made in the city or town where a vital event occurred) and the State Division of Vital Records Administration. The DRVA has public vital statistics records dating back to 1640.

Note that although the law permits public access to New Hampshire public birth records (records older than 100 years), individuals must still pay the mandatory fee to search for or retrieve records from the official government custodians. In most cases, the vital records offices provide walk-in services to requesters.

How to Find and Request Birth Records Online in New Hampshire

The Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA) manages the New Hampshire Vital Records Information Web (NHVRINweb) on its official website. NHVRINweb is an online platform that allows interested persons to look up birth records in New Hampshire. However, the platform only provides statistical data pulled from records of births and other vital events. For example, death and divorce records. It does not provide access to vital records information. Users must sign up to be able to use the platform which offers an interactive interface where users can ask questions and make comments. Some cities in New Hampshire make provisions for interested parties to apply for birth records online. Concord City is one such city.

Qualified individuals can also obtain birth records online in New Hampshire through any state-approved independent vital records service provider. Requesters should note that third-party online vendors charge additional fees for using their services. However, while online vendors may offer expedited services for obtaining certified copies of New Hampshire birth certificates, any risks that arise from such online orders are entirely borne by the requester. More information about third-party expedited services is available on the DVRA's FAQ page.

Considered open to citizens of the United States, public records are available through both traditional, government sources, and through third-party websites and organizations. In many cases, third-party websites make the search easier as they are not limited geographically or by technological limitations. They are considered a good place to start when looking for a specific record or multiple records. In order to gain access to these records, interested parties must typically provide:

• The name of the person listed in the record. Juveniles are typically exempt from this search method.
• The last known or assumed location of the person listed in the record. This includes cities, counties, and states.

While third-party sites offer such services, they are not government-sponsored entities, and record availability may vary on these sites when compared to government sources.

How to Get Birth Records in New Hampshire

The New Hampshire Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA), the state's bureau of vital statistics, keeps and issues certified copies of birth records upon request in New Hampshire. The DVRA maintains statewide records of births beginning with 1935 to date. Generally, qualified individuals can access birth records in New Hampshire by mail or in person. They must also provide legible copies of valid government-issued photo IDs to obtain New Hampshire birth records. Acceptable IDs include but are not limited to driver's license, non-driver's license, and passport. Requesters who do not possess any acceptable photo identification can provide photocopies of two alternative documents as proof of identity. Such documents must bear the names of persons applying for birth records, and they include:

• Voter registration card
• Utility bills
• Car registration
• Hospital birth worksheet
• Pay stub (W-2)
• Personal check with address
• Rental/Lease agreement
• Social security card
• Disability award from SSA
• Department of Corrections identification card
• Copy of income tax return
• A letter from a government agency requesting a birth record
• Bank statements

Requesters with no valid IDs must attach completed Documentary Evidence Required Form to copies of two of these documents. The form is required to declare the non-availability of a valid photo ID and must be submitted with requests.

How to Get New Hampshire Birth Record in Person

Vital records offices in New Hampshire offer walk-in services to requesters of birth records. Generally, to obtain certified birth records in New Hampshire in person, requesters should complete the Application for A Certified Copy of A Vital Record. Applicants should complete the application online before printing and signing it. The signed application form attached with supporting documentation (like an applicant's valid photo ID or its alternative) should be submitted at the DVRA office or any town or city clerk's office in New Hampshire.

How to Get New Hampshire Birth Record by Mail

Interested parties should fill out the New Hampshire birth certificate application form on the DVRA's official website, print and sign it, and then mail it to the DVRA. Also, requesters can mail their applications to the nearest town or city clerk's office. All mail requests should be enclosed with payment proof, self-addressed stamped return envelopes, and copies of applicants' valid photo IDs or their alternatives.

Where Can I Find Birth Records in New Hampshire?

Requesters can obtain New Hampshire birth records from the offices of the local city or town clerks. They may as well get them from the state's bureau of vital statistics, i.e., the Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA). Interested parties can request any birth record in New Hampshire from 1935 to date, at any local City or Town Clerk's office, except for those recorded in 1949 and 1950. The records for these two years can only be obtained from the DVRA office or the town or city clerk in the area where such births occurred.

To obtain New Hampshire birth records from the DVRA office in person or via mail, qualified requesters can submit a completed New Hampshire birth certificate application form to:

New Hampshire Department of State
Division of Vital Records Administration
Registration/Certification
9 Ratification Way
Concord, NH 03301-2455

The New Hampshire Secretary of State provides a Clerk Information Search page where anyone can look up the location of the town or city clerk offices in the state. Persons interested in obtaining birth records from any town or city clerk in New Hampshire should retrieve their addresses from this search page.

How to Get Birth Records From a Hospital in New Hampshire

Hospitals in New Hampshire do not maintain birth records, not even for births that occurred at the hospitals. Eligible persons can obtain birth records in New Hampshire from the Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA) or the local town or city clerk's offices.

Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Birth Certificate in New Hampshire?

Anyone can obtain old birth records in New Hampshire because they are considered public records. Old birth records are those more than 100 years old. Every other birth record whose registration is still within 100 years is confidential, with restricted access by certain persons. These are individuals who have a direct and tangible interest in the record. Such persons include:

• The person named on the record (Registrant)
• Immediate family members of the registrant, except cousins (parents, siblings, children, spouse, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandchildren, grandparents, and great-grandparents)
• Guardian
• Registrant's representative who has a direct and tangible interest, such as an attorney, funeral director, physician, or any other agent authorized to act on behalf of a registrant or their relatives

A legal representative of the registrant must provide supporting documentation in the form of a written and signed letter on letterhead, attached with a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID. To determine a legal representative's eligibility to obtain a New Hampshire birth record, a direct and tangible interest must be shown on their letter, specifying the following information:

• Full name of the registrant
• Place of birth
• Date of birth
• Mother's maiden name
• Father's name
• The purpose for applying for the birth certificate

Per RSA 5-C:14, any person who willfully and knowingly makes any false statement in an application for a copy of a vital record (including birth record) is guilty of a Class B felony.

How Much Does a Birth Certificate Cost in New Hampshire?

A copy of a certified birth certificate in New Hampshire costs $15. Requesters who require more than one copy of the same certificate ordered at the same time will pay a $10 fee for each additional copy. According to New Hampshire law, these fees are non-refundable even if requested records are not located. Applicants are advised not to send cash by mail to pay the associated costs with New Hampshire birth records.

To pay for birth record requests at the Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA), applicants should make their checks and money orders payable to the Treasure, State of New Hampshire. Fees for applications made at the local town or city clerk's offices should be paid by means advised by the offices. Credit cards are the acceptable means of paying for online orders of birth certificates in New Hampshire.

How Long Does It Take to Get a Birth Certificate in New Hampshire?

Applicants visiting the Division of Vital Records Administration or a local town or city clerk's office in person can receive requested birth certificates on the same day. It takes about 20 business days from receipt to process New Hampshire birth record requests sent by mail.

How to Get a New Birth Certificate in New Hampshire

While the New Hampshire vital records offices can prepare new birth certificates, these are not brand-new birth certificates but amended versions of the original birth certificates (except in adoption cases where a court order necessitates the creation of a new certificate and sealing of the original birth record). Eligible individuals can obtain amended New Hampshire birth certificates upon application.

Any registrant finding an error/omission or needing to add new information to their original birth certificate (say, after a legal name change) can submit an application for correction or completion to a city or town clerk's office. This must be the office responsible for filing the original birth certificate. The fee to correct any New Hampshire birth certificate is $10 if a request is not submitted within 14 days of the filing date. This fee is waived if the error originated from the town or city clerk's office (RSA 5-C:10). Besides the fee, each requester must complete special forms and may need to submit supporting documentation to the clerk's office. An example is a notarized affidavit of personal knowledge attesting to birth facts.

Other than a registrant, any individual with a direct interest in a birth record can request changes from an official government custodian. For example, a registrant's parent or legal representative. Changes to the birth certificate of a registrant aged 18 years or older can only be made with the registrant's approval.

For additional information about the birth certificate amendment process in New Hampshire, a registrant should contact their city or town clerk or review the State DVRA's Correcting Vital Records page.

Note: Adoptive parents do not usually need to apply for a new birth certificate, as the vital statistics office will issue a new one and mail it to the parents after receiving an adoption report from the court.

Can You Find New Hampshire Birth Certificates Online?

No. Given the confidential nature of New Hampshire birth certificates, individuals can only obtain the records by direct request to an official government custodian. The vital statistics offices do not provide eligible parties with an online portal where they may search for the availability of birth certificates. However, some offices (like the Manchester City Clerk's Office) manage official websites where individuals may place online orders for New Hampshire birth certificates.

How to Expunge Your Birth Records in New Hampshire

Currently, New Hampshire does not expunge birth records. Record expungement is the permanent removal of all or parts of the content in a person's event record. It is a term commonly used with criminal records and offenses in New Hampshire.

How to Seal Your Birth Records in New Hampshire

Sealing of birth records is one part of the adoption process in New Hampshire. Typically, when a person is adopted, the records from the adoption proceedings and the adoptee's original birth certificate are sealed. Adoptive parents or adoptees do not need to petition to seal New Hampshire adoption records. Once any adoption record is sealed, access to it becomes restricted to only certain persons and under specific conditions.

After an adoption, New Hampshire issues a new (or amended) birth certificate, naming the adoptee as born to adoptive parents. The new birth certificate replaces the original birth certificate in the adoption file. Afterward, the original birth certificate and other evidence of adoption are placed in a sealed file. The adoptee's vital information on the new birth certificate is the same as the original birth certificate. A new birth certificate issued after adoption is to protect the best interests of the adoptees. It protects them from the stigma of illegitimacy for children born out of wedlock. Also, the sealing of New Hampshire adoption records protects the privacy of families and makes it hard for birth siblings separated by adoption to be in touch. The State of New Hampshire is a closed adoption records state.

How to Unseal Your Birth Records in New Hampshire

In New Hampshire, adoptees age 18 or older, their birth and adoptive parents can access non-identifying information in an adoption record containing a sealed birth record. Similarly, identifying information is available to the adoptee, blood relatives, and birth parents. According to New Hampshire legislation, adoptees have the right to request and obtain non-certified copies of their pre-adoption birth records without a court order.

In an adoption process, a contact reference form allows birth parents to choose if they wish to be contacted by their biological child (the adoptee) or not. New Hampshire RSA 5-C:9 provides biological parents the opportunity to complete a contact reference form and file it in an adoption file.

Pre-adoption records in New Hampshire are available at the Division of Vital Records Administration (DVRA). Adoptees may apply to unseal their New Hampshire adoption records and obtain non-certified copies of their original birth certificate in-person or via mail. To get the record by mail, an adoptee should complete the Non-Certified Document Application Form online, print and sign it, and then mail it to:

Division of Vital Records Administration
Adoption Coordinator
9 Ratification Way
Concord, NH 03301-2410

The mailed New Hampshire birth certificate application must be enclosed with a legible copy of the adoptee's government-issued photo ID. The requesting adoptee must also include a self-addressed stamped envelope with a return address. The address on the application form should match the one written on the adoptee's identification document. If different, the adoptee must provide a notarized letter authorizing the DVRA to mail the unsealed (non-certified) birth record to an address other than the one on the adoptee's identification document.

A $15 fee paid by money order or check by the adoptee is required to obtain pre-adoption records in New Hampshire. Checks and money orders are payable to the Treasure, State of New Hampshire. Once received by the DVRA, the request will be processed, and a non-certified copy of the adoptee's original birth certificate is prepared for delivery to the adoptee. Such a certificate cannot be tendered as a legal birth certificate or used for identification purposes.

Who Signs Birth and Death Certificates in New Hampshire?

The New Hampshire legislature mandates the signing and filing of birth and death records with a local vital records office or the state's bureau of vital statistics after a birth or death.

RSA 5-C:19 and 5-C:20 set out the rules for filing birth records with the New Hampshire local registrars, as well as the persons responsible for certifying New Hampshire births.

• Live births that occurred in a New Hampshire hospital or institution: Per the law, when a live birth occurs in a hospital or institution, any of the following people can certify with their signature the facts of a birth within 72 hours:
  • A physician of an institution's obstetrics team or service
  • The chief of medical staff
  • The chief of obstetrics, or
  • The hospital administrator

When a physician and nurse midwife are both present at the hospital birth, the physician signs the birth record while the nurse midwife will be noted as the attendant at birth. However, if the physician is absent, the nurse midwife stands as the certifier (the person who signs the birth record).

• Non-hospital births: Suppose a child was born at home or another non-hospital facility but is brought to a New Hampshire facility within 24 hours of the birth. In that case, the person who signs the birth record is the physician who attended to the mother at the hospital facility.

For home births, the attending physician, midwife, or nurse midwife is responsible for signing the birth record. However, if none were present, the parents must report the birth to the town or city clerk within one week, and the clerk (after preparing all related documents) will sign as the certifier.

On the other hand, a New Hampshire death record is signed by the physician, advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), or physician assistant who was in attendance at the last sickness or who pronounced the death. (See RSA 290:1 and RSA 5-C:62, subd. III.)

What is a New Hampshire Birth Index?

A birth index is an alphabetical or chronological listing of all births reported within a locality or state. This registry may carry a child's name, gender, date of birth, place of birth, parents' names, or the page number of the record on file, and it may be found at a vital statistics office or archives division. In some states, it is accessible to the public on official government websites.

However, the vital records offices in New Hampshire do not maintain public birth indices or registries online, nor can individuals access New Hampshire birth indexes of closed records at the local or state vital records offices. What the state offers to the public is unrestricted access to genealogical record searches (i.e., New Hampshire public birth record searches) at the DVRA's Genealogical Research Center in Concord City. Interested persons can also send in an application, identification, and a search fee to have the vital records archives staff find records for them.

Alternatively, the public can search New Hampshire birth indexes and records at a relevant town/city clerk's office. Note that walk-in services are only offered during regular business hours.