Kentucky Today
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is warning people who need copies of documents such as birth, marriage, divorce and death certificates about using third-party vendors who are not approved by the state.
The start of the new year typically means an increase in the number of requests for those documents and, while Cabinet officials say obtaining them is easy, it is important to be aware of the appropriate resources.
Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Frankfort.
“Many unofficial third-party websites are claiming they can place an order for a birth certificate or provide customers with a birth certificate application,” said Kentucky State Registrar Christina Stewart. “While their services may result in a birth certificate, the customer will have provided personal identifying information such as their address, phone number, credit card number or bank account number to an unofficial party. In addition, these types of websites are likely to charge much higher fees.”
Birth, death, marriage, and divorce certified certificates can also be obtained by visiting the Office of Vital Statistics at 275 E. Main St., in Frankfort.
Visitors will need to complete and print the fillable birth certificate application form on the Vital Statistics website.
The completed form, along with payment, can be mailed to Office of Vital Statistics, 275 East Main Street, 1E-A, Frankfort, KY 40621.
Make checks or money orders payable to Kentucky State Treasurer. A non-refundable fee of $10 is required.
Marriage, Divorce, Death and Stillbirth Certificates are $6.00 for each certificate.
Kentuckians can securely obtain Kentucky birth certificates or other official documents by placing an order through the Office of Vital Statistics in Frankfort; or by placing an order with VitalChek, an approved partner.
VitalChek’s processing fee of $9.50 will apply for the use of a credit/debit card. The fee is in addition to the cost of the document: Each birth certificate is $10, and each marriage, divorce, death or stillbirth certificate is $6.
Certificates can also be processed by phone through VitalChek. Call VitalChek to order a certificate using a credit/debit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express).
For phone orders, VitalChek’s processing fee is $10.50. The VitalChek phone number is (800) 241-8322, choose option 1 to place an order.
