Kansas Birth Records Online

The state of Kansas began to collect birth records from the individual counties starting in July of 1911. Some of these counties may have their own archives of material that was not submitted to the state, with more records going back to the 1860s.

At no point do the vital records of Kansas become public, which means that any Kansas birth record you wish to acquire will have to either belong to yourself or to an immediate relative no matter how long ago the birth occurred. If you are not an immediate relative, the record will only be released with proof of a legal issue requiring the document.

The fee for an officially certified copy of a Kansas birth record is currently $15 USD, though you should verify the cost (usually listed on the forms) before sending your application. Improper fees can result in rejection, and you'll have to start all over again.

To request a birth certificate from the main state office, you can either go there in person (to get your records while you wait) or send your forms in through the mail. You'll wait between 1 and 2 weeks if you use the mail. Going in person is faster and you can also just show your ID to the clerk, otherwise you'll have to include photocopies of your photo ID along with your application.

The address is the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Curtis State Office Bldg, 1000 SW Jackson #120, Topeka KS, 66612 USA. If you arrive in person, you can pay in cash but a mail order will need a check or money order made out to "Kansas Vital Statistics". When no record is located, you will get a notice saying that no file was found but no refunds are issued.

You can also order Kansas birth records over the phone though there are several additional charges and you will have to pay by credit card. Identification is still expected, and you will have to provide either your driver's license number or social security number. You'll need to provide the same information about the desired record as would be found on the application forms.

The forms are on the Department of Health website (http://www.kdheks.gov/vital/download/birth.pdf). There are fields for the person's full name, parents names, date of birth and place of birth. If the date of birth isn't known exactly, the office can search a range of a few years. Provide as much information as possible.

If you are trying to find birth information of someone you are not an immediate relative of, you do have other options besides the state Vital Statistics office. Many genealogy websites have databases of Kansas birth record indexes, which can provide some information though are not considered actual records themselves. Some of these indexes may be freely available and some may require a paid subscription to the site.

You can also dig into newspaper archives for birth announcements or even church records for christenings.

Kansas Birth Records Search