No, except for Oklahoma birth records older than 125 years. Birth records above 125 years are considered open records. Vital records in Oklahoma are protected by state law, 63 O.S. Sec. 1-323 and are considered private. Eligible members of the public seeking public birth records, birth certificates, or any vital record can obtain information about the desired records from the website maintained by the office of vital statistics, Oklahoma.
An Oklahoma birth record is proof of the subject's identity and an official document that serves as evidence that the individual's birth occurred in Oklahoma. It is considered a vital document that establishes a person's age and citizenship status.
Birth records are essential for the administration of state laws and the protection of individual rights. In addition, the statistical data from birth records are of great value to public health and other agencies. Birth records are typically required for:
Historically, birth records were registered using paper and were often incomplete and error-strewn. In certain situations, births remained unregistered for years due to records not being submitted. However, in 2009, the Oklahoma State Department of Health launched ROVER; a web-based system for registering births. ROVER is an acronym for Registering Oklahoma Vital Event Records. Oklahoma birth records are now filed faster, more completely, and more accurately.
An Oklahoma birth record contains:
The Oklahoma Department of Health, Division of Vital Records, is the government agency responsible for maintaining all birth records and other vital records in Oklahoma including issuing certified copies. Those seeking Oklahoma birth records can access the Oklahoma birth registry maintained by the Bureau of Vital Statistics, Oklahoma.
Eligible requesters can also send a request via the following methods:
Vital Records Service
Oklahoma State Department of Health
P.O. Box 248964
Oklahoma City, OK 73124-8964
Oklahoma State Department of Health
123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue, Suite 1702
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-6406
In Person
Oklahoma State Department of Health
123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK
Phone: (405) 426-8880
Email: AskVR@health.ok.gov.
Note that Oklahoma no longer offers walk-in services for obtaining a birth certificate.
Oklahoma public birth records can also be found on third-party sites.
Oklahoma provides access to a free searchable index of births that occurred in the state through the Ok2Explore web portal. Therefore, requesters can quickly look up Oklahoma birth records. Note that the Ok2Explore portal only includes limited information on births occurring more than 20 years ago. Users of the portal may search the Oklahoma birth index using any combination of the subject's name, date of birth, the county where the birth occurred, and the gender of the subject. The Ok2Explore indexes are updated monthly with new records and corrections.
However, online orders cannot be placed directly to the issuing authority in the state. For convenience, the Oklahoma Department of Health has partnered with an independent company to process online requests for birth records. Therefore, requesters can obtain birth records by providing acceptable identification and paying the appropriate fees. The company charges an additional fee for its service. All major credit cards are accepted by the company, including Discover, MasterCard, American Express, and Visa.
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:
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.
Eligible persons can apply to obtain birth records by mail or in person. However, an application is not complete without paying the appropriate fees and providing proper identification. Each applicant must provide one form of Primary ID or two forms of Secondary IDs. Any Primary ID document used must not have expired beyond three years. If secondary IDs are used in an application, at least one of the documents must show a current address. Birth records issued based on Secondary IDs will be mailed to the current address shown on the identification provided.
The Primary ID list comprises:
It is also possible to obtain an heirloom birth certificate in Oklahoma. A requester who is the subject of the record or a named parent can obtain an heirloom birth certificate by completing the Oklahoma Birth Certificate Form. Include a copy of a photo ID and the appropriate fee along with the completed form in a mail to:
Vital Records
Oklahoma State Department of Health
P.O. Box 53551
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3551
Note that the heirloom birth certificate is a commemorative certificate and cannot be used for proof of birth or other legal purposes.
Persons who need an apostille on a certified copy of a birth record can obtain such from the Oklahoma Secretary of State. An apostille is issued for documents meant for use in certain foreign countries. Upon obtaining the certified birth record from the Vital Records Office, enclose it along with the appropriate fee and identification by mail to:
Secretary of State
Certification Department
421 NW 13th St, Suite 210
Oklahoma City, OK 73103
Phone: (405) 521-4211
The documents may also be submitted in person at the office of the Oklahoma Secretary of State. Their hours of operations are between 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Note that documents sent by mail must include a cover letter specifying the country requiring the document, a daytime telephone number or email address, and the address for return.
To obtain an Oklahoma birth record in person:
Oklahoma State Department of Health
1000 Northeast 10th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
In order to reduce the risk of exposure due to increasing COVID-19 cases in Oklahoma, Vital Record Lobbies are currently closed to walk-in requests.
To obtain an Oklahoma birth record by mail:
Vital Records Service
Oklahoma State Department of Health
P.O. Box 53551
Oklahoma City, OK 73152
The Division of Vital Records, Department of Health is responsible for registering births that occurred in Oklahoma as well as preserving and issuing certified copies of birth records in line with state law. Hence, anyone interested in obtaining certified copies of Oklahoma birth records can get them from the Vital Records division.
Per Oklahoma law, birth records filed in the state are not open for public inspection. It is a crime to obtain a birth record for fraudulent purposes or under false pretenses in Oklahoma. The following persons are eligible to obtain a birth record:
The Oklahoma State Department of Health lists specific forms of identification that must be provided by each category of persons listed above. Visit the birth certificate eligibility page of the Oklahoma State Department of Health to view the appropriate IDs.
Effective from November 2014, any birth record older than 125 years is now considered publicly available and accessible to anyone.
A non-refundable search fee of $15 per record is required to conduct a search for an Oklahoma birth record. This fee is inclusive of the cost of issuing one certified copy of a birth record. Additional copies are charged at $15 each. Mail order payments can be made by check or money order made payable to the "Vital Records Service".
A $12.95 processing fee is charged for online orders made through the third-party vendor providing online order services. Expedited requests will attract additional fees too
Special commemorative heirloom birth certificates cost $35 per copy.
Complete mail orders for birth records are processed within 4 weeks. Note that missing items or information will delay responses to requests. Online orders take between 1-2 business days to complete. Walk-in requests are attended to on the same day of requests, sometimes within 2 hours.
To get a new birth certificate in Oklahoma; either to replace a lost certificate or get the birth certificate for the first time, a requester can send a request to the Oklahoma Department of Health, either online, via mail, or in person. One would need to fill out an application form providing all necessary details including a valid ID. Some private online vendors also offer this service.
Yes, eligible members of the public seeking to find Oklahoma birth certificates online can do so by visiting the database maintained by the Department of Health, Oklahoma to request a copy.
Expunging a birth record means deleting some or all of the information contained in the document. Oklahoma does not allow the expungement of birth records.
Under Title 63 Section 1-316 of the Oklahoma Statutes, a new birth certificate must be issued following the presentation of an adoption certificate, or a certified copy of the adoption decree. The previous birth certificate, that is the original birth certificate, must be sealed and filed away before the amended birth certificate is issued. Therefore, birth parents do not need to petition the court separately for sealing birth records.
Note that Oklahoma adoption records are generally sealed.
Prior to 1939, all adoption records including original birth certificates were open in Oklahoma. However, in 1939, adoption records were sealed to protect adoptive families. Currently, nearly all adult adoptees born in Oklahoma must obtain a court order and present a good reason for the release of original birth certificates.
An adoptee born in Oklahoma whose adoption was finalized after November 1, 1997, may obtain a non-certified copy of their original birth certificates without a court order if certain conditions are met. These include:
In all other instances, a certified copy of the original birth record may be issued if all the under-listed conditions are satisfied:
Vital Records
Oklahoma State Department of Health
P.O. Box 53551
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-3551
One or both birth parents of the person whose name is on the certificate and the medical personnel in charge of the delivery of the baby whose name is on the certificate. Meanwhile, A death certificate is signed by either the hospital, a coroner, a physician certifier, or a funeral director.
The Oklahoma birth index is an online database of Oklahoma birth records. These records contain all registered births in Oklahoma. Information in the records includes details of the person whose name appears on the certificate or record. Oklahoma makes available a free searchable index of births and deaths that happened in the state if one is eligible to access records. The Center for Health Statistics has birth records dating as far back as 1908.