Are Birth Records Public in Arizona
No, Arizona is a “closed record” state. This implies that vital records, including birth records such as birth certificates, are not public records. Only certain eligible persons and entities are allowed to access birth records in Arizona. However, birth records are considered public birth records 75 years after the date of birth. As a result, anyone can access and review them after this time limit passes. The general public can also review vital statistics on numerous Arizona vital events through the state Department of Health's official website.
What are Birth Records in Arizona?
Birth records in Arizona are vital records and are the official recordings of all birth events within the state. A typical Arizona birth record contains information on a child and the parents of the child. It may also have some details regarding the circumstance surrounding such an event. Unlike many states in the United States, birth records in Arizona are closed records and may only be accessed by certain persons. A certified Arizona birth record can be used for various legal purposes. It is also essential for the following:
- School registration
- Obtaining a passport
- Proof of citizenship
- Applying for Social Security benefits
- Proof of right to work anywhere in the United States
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the registration of all births, whether or not a child is alive at birth. Arizona began statewide registration of birth in July 1909, but there was no general compliance until 1926. Every birth event registered in Arizona include at a minimum the following information:
- Full name of the child
- Date of birth
- County of birth
- Sex of child (gender)
- Full names of the parents
- Birth registration details (date and place of registration, including registration number)
- Type of birth
How to Find and Request Birth Records Online in Arizona
The State of Arizona does not have a state-run online channel to look up or obtain birth records. However, the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Vital Records partners with an independent and authorized vital records provider to handle all online birth record requests. The Bureau of Vital Records provides information on how to request birth records online using the third-party vendor approved by it on the ADHS website. The online ordering option is convenient to use, especially in an unforeseen circumstance such as a pandemic or disaster. There may be additional costs other than the regular fee for obtaining a birth record by other means.
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 Arizona
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Vital Records is responsible for maintaining and issuing copies of birth records in Arizona. However, birth records being closed records in the state are only accessible by certain persons. Arizona birth records are also available at the county health departments. Interested parties should request birth records at the county offices only if such birth events occurred in the county. The widely used options for requesting birth records in Arizona are:
How to Request a Birth Record in Person in Arizona
Both the Bureau of Vital Records and the local county health departments’ Office of Vital Records allows birth record in-person requests. Requesters must, however, be eligible. They must also provide the required information on the Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth Certificate form. Although the State Bureau of Vital Records does not offer same-day service, requesters may apply in person and retrieve requested records at a later date. Persons who want same-day walk-in service should visit the local county health department Office of Vital Records.
How to Request a Birth Record by Mail in Arizona
To request birth records in Arizona by mail, an interested person must first complete the Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth Certificate form. They may then forward the completed application form to the State Bureau of Vital Records or the local county health department Office of Vital Records. Such a request must contain the following:
- A self-addressed stamped envelope
- Copy of requester’s valid government-issued photo identification bearing their signatures (Notarized signatures can suffice for a requester without such ID)
- Proof of eligibility (for a requester other than the person named on the record or their parents)
- Proof of payment
Requesters must enclose these documents/requirements in their mail requests, a failure which may render such applications incomplete and result in delays or even denial of request.
Where Can I Find Birth Records in Arizona?
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Vital Records is a place where eligible persons can find all Arizona birth records. Records of birth events that occurred in the counties are accessible at the local health department Office of Vital Records in the county that recorded such births. To obtain Arizona birth records, Interested individuals may visit the county Vital Record Offices. They may also apply in person or via mail at/to the Bureau of Vital Records located at:
Arizona Department of Health Service
Bureau of Vital Records
1818 W. Adams Street
P.O. Box 6018
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Requesters are encouraged to call the Bureau of Vital Records on (602) 364-1300 for clarifications where necessary. Contact information of the local Vital Records Offices in all Arizona 15 counties is available on the second page of the Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth Certificate form. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) also manages the Arizona Genealogy Record Search portal. This portal hosts birth records for genealogy search 75 years after the date of birth for births that occurred between 1800 and 1946. However, the birth records on the portal are not certified copies. They are only being made available to the public in compliance with the Arizona Revised Statutes 36-351(B).
How to Get Birth Records From a Hospital in Arizona
Hospitals in the State of Arizona do not issue birth certificates under any circumstance. The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Bureau of Vital Records issues birth certificates for births that occurred in any Arizona hospital to eligible individuals provided the births were registered.
Can Anyone Get a Copy of a Birth Certificate in Arizona?
No, because birth records in Arizona are not available to the public. It is only certain persons that may obtain birth records in Arizona. The state does this to protect the confidentiality and sensitive information included in birth certificates. Eligible persons must be at least 18 years old. The Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-210 and R9-19-211 names the individuals and entities qualified to obtain certified copies of birth certificates in Arizona and the criteria. These are:
- The person named in the birth certificate (Registrant)
- Valid government-issued photo ID or notarized signature on the ID
- Registrant's Parents
- Their names must be on the certificate. If not named on the certificate, they may provide a certified copy of a court order of adoption or certificate of adoption.
- A certified copy of a court order that names the requester as the registrant's parent also suffices
- Registrant's Guardian
- Copy of the Order of Permanent or Temporary Guardianship of the registrant. (They must apply within the period of a temporary order)
- Registrant's Spouse
- Copy of marriage certificate for the couple
- Notarized permission letter signed by the registrant or a copy of the registrant's Valid photo ID
- Registrant's Grandparent
- Name and date of birth of grandparent's child (registrant's parent) if born in Arizona. This will be stored in the Electronic Birth Registry System of the Bureau of Vital Records.
- Grandparents may also provide the birth certificate of their child containing the name of the registrant's parents
- An attorney representing the registrant and registrant's parent or guardian
- Notarized request letter containing detailed information on the registrant, registrant's parent, or guardian
- A document stipulating the attorney has been retained by the registrant, guardian, or parent
- Any person designated in a power of attorney
- Copy of the power of attorney document given by a parent or guardian of a minor or incapacitated person. Military personnel who is a parent or guardian of a child (minor) can also designate a person in a power of attorney
- Conservator
- Copy of the court order authorizing a conservatorship
- A person designated in a court order
- Certified copy of the court order authorizing such person to obtain the record
Others include:
- A private attorney representing an adoptive parent
- Adoptive agencies representing birth or adoptive parents
- Registrant's siblings
- Registrant's adult child
- Registrant's grandchild
- Government agencies
- Genealogical researchers
All requesters must provide valid government-issued photo IDs or notarized signature on their applications and completed applications. They must also provide proof of payments with their requests.
How Much Does a Birth Certificate Cost in Arizona?
As specified by the Arizona Administrative Code R9-19-105, the standard fee for obtaining a certified birth certificate in Arizona in person or by mail is $20. This fee is payable to the Bureau of Vital Records. Each additional copy of the certificate also costs $20. However, additional fees may apply for requests made online through the state-approved third-party vital record provider. Payment methods accepted by the State Vital Records Office and the county Vital Record Offices include:
- Debit and Credit card
- Personal check
- Cash (for in-person request only)
- Money order
How Long Does It Take to Get a Birth Certificate in Arizona?
For most requests for birth certificates in Arizona, the average processing time is five working days from the day Vital Records receive such applications. The local county health department of Vital Records offers same-day walk-in service for interested persons. However, applications with incomplete information or documentation may experience delays in processing and take longer than the standard time.
How to Get a New Birth Certificate in Arizona
A registrant and other eligible persons and entities can order a new birth certificate in Arizona through the state Department of Health Services Bureau of Vital Records (ADHS). The ADHS currently only accepts birth certificate requests by mail. If it’s an individual requesting a new birth certificate, they would need to complete the Bureau of vital records request for copy of birth certificate form. The form comes in both English and español. Meanwhile, government agencies must complete the Government Agency Request for Copies of Birth Certificate form.
After completing the appropriate form, the record seeker can send it along with the necessary fees and documentation to the ADHS. These documentations includes a copy of the front and back of the record seekers' government-issued picture identification that bears their signature or a notarized copy of their signature. If the record seeker is not the registrant or a parent named on the certificate, they would also need to submit proof of eligibility. A self-address envelope as well as the appropriate fee according to the state fee schedule, must also be sent along with the completed form. Acceptable forms of payment include cashier’s checks, money orders, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. The checks and money order must be made payable to the Bureau of Vital Records. Note the ADHS mailing address is provided on each request form.
For expedited service, record seekers can opt either to utilize the same day walk in services offered by local county health department Offices or the services of third party online vendors. If a record seeker opts to use online vendor services, they are advised to use the independent company the ADHS has partnered with. This is because there are no other internet ordering services endorsed by the ADHS.
Who Signs Birth and Death Certificates in Arizona?
Per AAC R9-19-101, a medical certifier must sign a medical certification of death in Arizona. A medical certifier refers to a health care provider, tribal law enforcement authority, or medical examiner.
Pursuant to Arizona Revised Statute 36-333.C, the physician, nurse, or midwife who was present at the birth is responsible for signing the child’s Certificate of Live Birth in Arizona. Regardless of whether the child's delivery occurred at home or at/en route to a medical facility. However, for home births where a physician, nurse, or midwife was absent, the child’s parent or a legally aged family member who was present at the birth can complete and sign the birth certificate.
How to Expunge Your Birth Records in Arizona
The State of Arizona does not have any provision for expunging birth records. Expungement of records in the United States is a way of destroying such documents from the state and federal records.
How to Seal Your Birth Records in Arizona
Arizona is a closed record state, and consequently, adoption records are considered confidential. Once an adoption is final in Arizona, the Bureau of Vital Records typically amends the adoptee's original birth certificate to indicate the adoptive information. The vital information on an amended birth certificate is no different from that of an original birth certificate. The only differentiating information is the parents' names, which on an amended birth certificate bears the adoptive parents' names. The court then seals the adoptee's original birth certificate and the adoption certificate to keep them away from public access. There is a restriction on the information an adoptee can obtain on their birth parents once the records are sealed. The practice of sealing birth records in adoption protects the privacy of all parties concerned. It also dissuades most individuals from abortion while encouraging adoption.
How to Unseal Your Birth Records in Arizona
Adoptees may request to obtain adoption records for various reasons in Arizona. If pressing, per Arizona Revised Statute, 8-121, they may petition the court to obtain information relating to adoption in possession of the court, the division, agency, or attorney involved in the adoption. Under section 8-129, the court may release non-identifying information. The court shall not release identifying information unless the person requesting the information has established a compelling need for disclosure of such information. It will also not release any identifying details unless consent has been obtained according to subsection E of this section or from the birth parent under section 8-106. Once a compelling need for disclosure of the information is established, the court may decide what information, if any, should be disclosed, to whom, and under what conditions disclosure may be made. Non-identifying information may include the health and genetic history of the adoptee's biological parents and members of the birth parents' relatives.
In Arizona, persons who may access information in a sealed adoption record include:
- An adoptee who is at least 18 years old
- The biological parents or other birth children of the biological parents of an adoptee
- Adoptive parents or a legal guardian of an adoptee
- Adoptee's spouse, who is the legal parent of the adoptee's child in the case of a deceased adoptee
- A guardian of any child of the adoptee
- An adoptee's child who is age 18 or older, if the adoptee has died
