Nebraska Birth Records Online

The collecting of Nebraska birth records officially began in 1904 though some counties may have their own registrations that were entered prior to 1904. Keep in mind that many records until around 1911 didn't have the name of the child, only the father which can (and will) make searching a little more complicated.

After 50 years, the records become public domain and can be researched by anyone, regardless of familial relationship to the person on the record. Until that point, you can only access a Nebraska birth record if it is your own, or you are the parent, child or spouse of the person of record. You will have to provide proof of this with your request application.

In order to make a request, you will have to put together an application with the proper forms and documentation as well as the search fees, and mail it all to the Vital Records office. Their address is: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, Vital Records, PO Box 95065, Lincoln NE, 68509-5065 USA.

If you happen to be in the Lincoln area, they do operate regular Monday to Friday business hours for in-person requests. Their physical address is the DHHS office at 1033 O Street, Suite 130 which is on the first floor of Gold's Galleria.

You can get the right request forms for a Nebraska birth record from their website (http://www.hhs.state.ne.us/ced/birth.pdf), which can be filled out on the computer and printed out. There are fields for the full name of the person of record, their date of birth, place of birth (city or county), parent's full names and the reason why you are requesting the record.

You also need to identify yourself with full contact information. Even if you are not asking for a recent certificate, you do still have to present your own identification. A photocopy of both sides of a government issued photo ID is sufficient. If you are requesting a Nebraska birth record newer than 30 years, you will also have to provide copies of documents showing your relationship.

Fees are to be included as well, in the form of a check or money order. Currently the fee is $12 USD per record request. Make your payment out to "Vital Records". You will also have to include a stamped and self-address envelope for your returned documents. If you want to order more than one certified copy, they are also $12 each. These fees are not returned even if no record is found. In that case, you will still get a response, usually in the form of a "file not found" notice.

If you are looking for Nebraska birth records from earlier than 1904, you can contact the county where the birth took place to see if they have any additional registrations. Some counties have their own records going back to 1870s, particularly around Omaha and Lincoln. If they do have the records you are looking for, you can make a request directly from the county registrar's office. The same procedure and fees will apply as when applying to the main state office.

Nebraska Birth Records Search