Only the person(s) named on the birth certificate may order through an online vendor.

Note: Please use only these approved vendors to send online requests for certified copies of South Carolina Vital Records. We cannot guarantee that orders from other websites will be processed.

Go Certificates

Fees Include:

• A $17 non-refundable expedited searching fee
• $3 for each additional copy
• $8.70 additional processing fee

www.gocertificates.com

Average processing time is 5-7 business days

Vital Chek

Fees Include:

• A $17 non-refundable expedited searching fee
• $3 for each additional copy
• $8.75 additional processing fee
• Secure Next Day "signature required" delivery available for additional fee

www.vitalchek.com

Estimate Processing Time

Additional Information

All fees must be paid using a major credit/debit card. Additional fees may apply if you choose expedited shipping.

If you are applying for a copy of a birth certificate through one of our online vendors, you will be asked to submit a copy of a valid government, school or employer issued photo ID. VitalChek performs online identity verification of the individual ordering the record on all orders. This additional security step can assist individuals without identification. If you do not pass the online identity verification you will be required to upload a valid ID.

Average processing time is 5-7 business days.

Call 1-877-284-1008 to speak to a VitalChek representative 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Only the person(s) named on the birth certificate may order through VitalChek.

Fees Include:

• $17 non-refundable expedited searching fee
  • Search fee includes one certified copy of the birth certificate, $3 for each additional copy
• $12.85 additional charge to pay for the services of VitalChek
• Shipping fees should you choose to expedite the shipping of your certificate

Average processing time is 30-45 minutes.

Same-day service is a goal of Vital Records; most requests can be processed the same day. For services that require additional processing time such as paternity affidavits, corrections and amendments, please arrive prior to 4 p.m. to ensure adequate time to process your request. Same-day service is not guaranteed for requests such as paternity affidavits, adoption processing, corrections and amendments.

You Will Need to Provide:

• A completed application form (pdf)
• $17 non-refundable expedited searching fee
  • Search fee includes one certified copy of the birth certificate, $3 for each additional copy
• A valid government, school or employer issued photo ID

*You must pay with exact cash, a money order, or cashier's check made payable to S.C. DPH

Where to Go:

• DPH State Vital Records Office, Columbia - Issues long form birth certificates; initiates and completes corrections.
  • Address: 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201
    Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
    Phone: (803) 898-3630
• Regional Vital Records Offices - Issues long form birth certificates; initiates corrections.

Reduce Your Wait Time
Vital Records experiences a high volume of in-person requests on Mondays and Fridays as well as during lunch hours every day. Customers can help reduce their wait time by bringing exact payment (i.e., cash, check, money order) and completed forms. Non-peak hours are 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday.

All Vital Records offices can issue birth certificates from any county in South Carolina. 

Average processing time is 4 weeks.

You Will Need to Send:

• A completed application form (pdf)
• A $12 non-refundable standard searching fee
  • Search fee includes one certified copy of the birth certificate, $3 for each additional copy
• A valid government, school or employer issued photo ID. When we receive applications without proper identification, we reject them automatically; we do not process them.

Mail to:

*Mail requests are only accepted at the DPH P.O. Box:

S.C. Department of Public Health
Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 2046
West Columbia, SC 29171

*Drop-offs are only accepted at the state office in Richland County.

You Will Need to Provide:

• A completed application form
• $12 non-refundable search fee (4 week processing time) or $17 non-refundable expedited searching fee (5 business days or less)
  • Search fee includes one certified copy of the divorce report, $3 for each additional copy
• A valid government, school or employer-issued photo ID

*You must pay with exact cash, a money order, or cashier's check made payable to S.C. DPH

Additional Information

• We'll give you a receipt when you drop off your request.
• We can mail your birth certificate to you or you can pick it up at the Columbia State Office.

Where to Go:

• DPH State Vital Records Office, Columbia
  • Address: 2600 Bull St., Columbia, SC 29201
    Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
    Phone: (803) 898-3630

The process of establishing a delayed birth record can be long and require many documents to be submitted. Sometimes, it is impossible to get the required documents and the only option is for someone to present what they have to a judge who will then decide what information to put on the birth certificate.

Establishing a delayed certificate administratively requires three different documents verifying the birth facts claimed have been submitted. The documents required are based on the age of the person whose birth certificate is being requested at the time of the application. For a person older than 10 years of age, all documents submitted must have been established at least 10 years prior to the date of application. For a person 10 years or younger, the documents must be dated at least one year prior to the date of the application or within the first year of life. Each document must show the place and the date the document was filed to prove it meets the age criteria. 

Only original or certified copies will be accepted and must show the following information:

• The registrant’s full name must be on each document with the correct spelling.
• At least one document must show the full date of birth and each document must show the registrant’s age or date of birth.
• At least one document must show the place of birth as South Carolina.
• At least one document must show the parentage at birth to include the full mother’s maiden name.

Xeroxed copies of documents are NOT acceptable. Examples of records that usually verify some or all of this information include, but are not limited to:

• School records
• Social Security Numident record
• Census records
• Birth certificates of children born to the registrant
• Marriage record (of the registrant)
• Driver’s record
• Insurance policies
• Medical records
• Military records
• Employment records

Documents submitted MUST NOT:

• Contain inconsistent information
• Contain incorrect information
• Contain alterations/discrepancies (unauthorized changes, strikeouts, whiteout, etc.)
• Show a place of birth other than South Carolina

*IMPORTANT: Delayed certificates may not be acceptable for all purposes. Persons desiring to establish a delayed certificate should contact the agency requesting the birth certificate and ask if a delayed certificate will be acceptable for the purposes they are requesting.

For more information, contact us.

South Carolina law requires that a birth must be registered within five days of the date of birth.

To establish a birth certificate for a birth that occurred in South Carolina outside of a medical facility, certain documentation is required.

For children born outside of a hospital, there are three options:

• A parent may take the newborn to a hospital within 5 days of birth. The hospital will examine the baby and birth mother and file the certificate electronically with DPH.
• A DPH or LLR-licensed midwife who attended the home birth may file the certificate electronically with DPH.
• Contact DPH prior to the baby’s birth at registration@dph.sc.gov or call (803) 898-3620 to get the Home Birth Registration Packet. The birth mother may file the certificate administratively with DPH within one (1) year of birth but must provide supporting documentation outlined in the packet including proof of pregnancy, proof of live birth, and proof that the live birth occurred in South Carolina.

A correction may be performed when an error occurred during the original filing process and is discovered within 1 year from the date of the event.

For example, if a parent provided the correct spelling of a name to the hospital, but the information was entered incorrectly when the birth certificate was filed, the record may be eligible for a correction.

If the error is discovered within 1 year from the date of birth, DPH can usually review the original documents used to prepare the birth record, such as the mother’s worksheet that was filled out at the hospital. If the original documents support the requested change and the request meets applicable requirements, the record may be corrected without going through the administrative amendment process. During a correction process, no amendment fee is charged and no notation is made on the certificate to show which fields were amended. 

An administrative amendment may be required when the requested change cannot be supported by the original documents used to file the birth record or if more than 1 year has passed from the date of birth and a correction is no longer possible. To request an administrative amendment, you must provide documentation showing what the information on the birth certificate should be. The documentation required depends on the information you are requesting to change. An amendment specialist will review the information to be changed and advise on which documents are most likely to support the correct information.

Examples of supporting documents may include:

• Marriage licenses
• School records
• Medical or hospital records
• DMV records
• Other official documents that support the requested change

All documentation submitted is subject to review. An amendment specialist or supervisor must determine whether the evidence meets the requirements for the requested amendment prior to acceptance.

If the documentation is approved, an affidavit may be prepared, applicable fees will be collected and the amendment will be processed. All amendment processes require that each field that was amended be noted at the bottom of the certification along with the date when it was amended.

Post-Adoption

How Do I Change a Birth Certificate After an Adoption?

In order to amend a child's S.C. birth certificate following adoption, the attorney will usually submit the following:

• Completed application form for the certified copy of a birth certificate
• Certificate of Adoption (DPH form 0671 if adoption was ordered in South Carolina) or whichever form is used by the state in which the adoption occurred to report to vital records.
• Certified copy of the Adoption Decree
• Fees for the number of copies requested
• $15 amendment fee

If you submit these items by mail, please be advised that processing generally takes 2 -3 months.

Obtain a Pre-Adoption Certificate

South Carolina law allows for an individual who is over the age of 18 and receives the consent of the birth parents or if the birth parents are deceased, to obtain an uncertified copy of their pre-adoptive certificate. Birth parents can also elect to give their consent for the child to receive their pre-adoptive certificate even if the child has not yet submitted a request for the pre-adoptive certificate. To request a copy of a pre-adoptive certificate or to file your consent to release a pre-adoptive certificate, please see the links below:

• I am the Adoptee
• I am the Biological Parent

Additional Information

• Adoptions

To process your request for a name change on a South Carolina birth certificate, South Carolina Vital Statistics must receive:

• a certified copy of the court order allowing the change
• a completed Vital Records Birth Application form to request the certificate

If Application Form Was Submitted Within the Past Year

• Return all old certificates along with the court order to South Carolina Vital Statistics
• Pay all fees that apply:
  • $12 search fee (includes one certified copy)
  • $3 for each additional copy
  • $15 amendment fee

You can do this by visiting an office near you or by mail:

S.C. Department of Public Health
Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 2046
West Columbia, SC 29171

If Application Form Was Submitted Over 1 Year Ago

• Complete a Vital Records Birth Application, and indicate “amend a certificate by court order” as the purpose for the request
• Submit the application form and the court order to South Carolina Vital Statistics
• Pay all fees that apply:
  • $12 search fee (includes one certified copy)
  • $3 for each additional copy
  • $15 amendment fee

You can do this by visiting an office near you or by mail:

S.C. Department of Public Health
Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 2046
West Columbia, SC 29171

Learn more about pricing

Average processing times:

• In-person: 30-45 minutes
• Mail: 4 weeks

If you have questions after reading this, please call South Carolina Vital Statistics at (803) 898-3630. They are available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding state holidays. If you need assistance after hours, complete an online request.

The sex listed on a birth certificate may only be changed by an order from a court of competent jurisdiction.

To process your request for a sex change on a South Carolina birth certificate, South Carolina Vital Statistics must receive:

• a certified copy of the court order allowing the change
• a completed Vital Records Birth Application form to request the certificate

After the Court Order is Finalized:

• Complete a Vital Records Birth Application, and indicate “amend a certificate by court order” as the purpose for the request
• Submit the application form and the court order to South Carolina Vital Statistics
  • $12 search fee (includes one certified copy)
  • $3 for each additional copy
  • $15 amendment fee

You can do this by visiting an office near you or by mail:

S.C. Department of Public Health
Vital Records Section
P.O. Box 2046
West Columbia, SC 29171

Learn more about pricing

Average processing times:

• In-person: 30-45 minutes
• Mail: 4 weeks

If you have questions after reading this, please call South Carolina Vital Statistics at (803) 898-3630. They are available from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding state holidays. If you need assistance after hours, complete an online request.

Beginning Nov. 17, 2025, the Richland County office (formally known as the State Office) will no longer process same-day amendment requests. Most in-person amendment requests submitted at regional offices, including the Richland County office, will be completed within 1–2 business days once reviewed by the amendment team in the central office. Court ordered amendments may take up to 2 weeks to allow for proper legal review and processing.

Newborn certificates are NOT automatically mailed to parents after the certificate is filed in South Carolina. They must be purchased via one of the methods listed above.

• Full name of the person whose birth certificate is being requested
• Full date of birth (month, day, year)
• County of birth
• Mother/parent's full name before she married
• Father/parent's full name (if listed on the certificate)
• Signature of the person requesting the birth certificate and their current mailing address
• The relationship between the person named on the birth certificate and the person requesting the certified copy
• The full name and complete mailing address of the person to whom the certificate is to be mailed
• Area code and daytime telephone number of the person requesting the certificate

A computer-generated long form is the only version of birth certificate issued. Under South Carolina regulation, it is considered for all purposes the same as the original certificate.

The computer-generated long form contains the following information:

• State file number
• Name of registrant
• Date of birth
• County of birth
• Place of birth (city)
• Father's name (if listed on the original birth certificate)
• Father's place of birth
• Mother's maiden name
• Mother's place of birth
• Date record filed, and
• The date issued.

Vital Records Offices stopped accepting requests for short form birth certificates in January 2015.

A computer-generated long form can be issued by the state office location - DPH, 2600 Bull Street, Columbia, South Carolina 29201 and by all regional Vital Records offices.

Paternity acknowledgments are not issuable documents under S.C. Code Section 44-63-165. They are sealed and only available for inspection upon a court order. The Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgments letter gives specifics on the pertinent laws and regulations about paternity acknowledgements. Many times, the entity that is requesting a copy of the paternity acknowledgment from you, most commonly a DEERS letter, will accept this letter in place of the paternity acknowledgment. 

If you have not received any response to your request within 30 days of submission, contact us for an update. To help us locate the request, provide the person’s first and last name, date of birth, and the address where the certificate was supposed to be mailed. 

• Send an email to vrrequeststatus@dph.sc.gov, or
• Call (803) 898-3630, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday, excluding state holidays, or
• After hours, submit an online request