Department of Health
John J. Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, Commissioner

There are three ways to obtain a copy of your certificate:
in person, by mail or by Internet

In person at the Tennessee Office of Vital Records:
Requests for certified copies of certificates are accepted at the Tennessee Office of Vital Records in Nashville.  The request must be made by the person named on the certificate, or a parent, guardian, child or spouse of the named person.  Most requests for certified copies can be handled while you wait.

Where:
Tennessee Vital Records
1st Floor, Central Services Building
421 5th Avenue, North
Nashville, TN  37243


When: 
Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday and Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Central Time (excluding holidays)

Effective April 4, 2013, the Office of Vital Records will only accept in-person orders through self-service kiosks:

Effective April 4, 2013, all routine orders for certified copies will be submitted using the self-service kiosks located in the lobby of the Vital Records office. The identity of the requestor will be verified based on the answers to a questionnaire using public record information generated by LexisNexis®. The questionnaire will require the entry of your social security number. Please be advised your social security number and the answers provided to the questionnaire will not be stored with your application, your information will remain confidential and will not be shared.

If you do not pass the identity verification process, you will be asked to provide identification documents at the front counter once your order has been transmitted for processing.

If you are not a qualified applicant, you will need to support your entitlement to the record requested or have a qualified applicant submit the application.

Search fees and the $4.00 identity authentication fee are non-refundable. Once an order is submitted and the record search is started, no cancellations or refunds can be made.

Acceptable forms of payment include American Express, Discover, Mastercard and Visa credit/debit cards, personal checks and money orders or cash.

Parking:
Parking meters are located along 5th Avenue in front of our office.  Additional parking is available in the Music City Central parking garage located around the corner from our office between 4th and 5th Avenue on Charlotte Avenue.

In person at a county health department:
Within Tennessee, most county health departments can issue death certificates for deaths which occurred in that county within the past few years.  In addition, many county health departments issue short form birth certificates for births which occurred anywhere in Tennessee since 1949.  Call the local health department to inquire.

By Mail
What to include:

1. The completed and signed application for certified copy of certificate of birth, death, marriage or divorce  
2. One of the following for identification purposes:
1. a photocopy of a government-issued identification card which includes the signature of the requester
2. a notarized application for certified copy
3. the mother’s copy of the birth certificate (issued at the hospital at the time of birth) may be used for identification when obtaining a newborn’s birth certificate.(It must be dated within the last two calendar years.)
4. if none of these documents are available, see ID requirements for alternatives
3. A check or money order made payable to Tennessee Vital Records for the appropriate fee.

Mail to:
Tennessee Vital Records
1st Floor, Central Services Building
421 5th Avenue, North
Nashville, TN  37243

By Internet

Tennessee Office of Vital Records does not directly accept online orders. However, for your convenience, we have contracted with an independent company to provide you with this service. Additional fees will be collected by the independent company. 
Click here for more information.