Are Louisiana Vital Records Open to the Public?

Louisiana vital records are mostly closed records and are only available to specific individuals. However, vital records become public information available on the Louisiana State Archives after a specific period. The statutory period of confidentiality depends on the record — fifty years for death and marriage records and 100 years for birth records. Until these periods elapse, only the persons named on the record, immediate family, and legal representatives may obtain certified copies of vital records in Louisiana.

What Information Do I Need to Search for Louisiana Vital Records Online?

Persons requesting a vital records search must possess the necessary information to facilitate the search, especially the names of the person on the record. The date and location of the life event are also important in finding vital records.

How Do I Obtain Louisiana Vital Records?

Generally, to obtain closed Louisiana vital records, the applicant will need to submit an application requesting the vital record, along with a check or money order for the applicable fees and a copy of a valid government-issued photo ID to the record custodian. Parties should send vital records requests to the State Registrar and Vital Records Office maintained by the Louisiana Department of Health. The Louisiana Department of Health and the Clerk in the parish where the life event happened are the designated custodians for various vital records. The Louisiana State Archives also acts as record custodian for publicly available vital records in Louisiana.

Publicly available vital records are also managed and disseminated by some third-party aggregate sites. These sites are generally not limited by geographical record availability and may serve as a reliable jump-off point when researching specific or multiple records. However, third-party sites are not government-sponsored. As such, record availability may differ from official channels. To find a record using the search engines on third party sites, the requesting party will be required to provide:

• The location of the record in question, including the city, county, or state where the case was filed.
• The name of someone involved providing it is not a juvenile.

What is the Difference Between a Certified Copy and an Informational Copy?

A certified copy of a Louisiana vital record is issued by the Bureau of Vital Records and Statistics and will be on security paper and contain an embossed government seal. These documents can be used for identification and other legal purposes. An informational copy is typically a notification that the bearer cannot use for legal purposes.

Are Louisiana Marriage Records Public Information?

Louisiana marriage records become public information and are thus available to anyone after 50 years. Records of marriage certificates that are less than 50 years and obtained in the parish of Orleans are available from the Bureau of Vital Records and Statistics of the Louisiana Department of Health. Public marriage records obtained in a different parish are available from the Office of the Clerk of the Court of that parish.

How Do I Obtain Louisiana Marriage Records?

Marriage records less than 50 years and for marriages that occurred in the parish of Orleans are available from the Vital Records Registry. Records less than 50 years for marriages that occurred in parishes other than Orleans are available from the Clerk of the Court of the parish. Records that are over 50 years old are retained at the State Archives.

Orleans Parish marriage records can be requested online, by mail, or by walk-in applications. Records cost $5 for each copy. All requests must include a completed application form, proper identification, and complete fees. Requests should be sent to:

Vital Records Central Office
Suite 400
1450 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

Requests for marriage records outside the Parish of Orleans should be made at the Office of the Clerk of the Court of the Parish where the marriage occurred.

Requests for marriage records for the Parish of Orleans, which are older than 50 years, can go to:

Louisiana State Archives
3851 Essen lane
PO Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Are Louisiana Divorce Records Public Information?

Divorce records in Louisiana are generally closed records that are available to a select list of individuals. These records are typically available to divorcees, immediate family members, and authorized representatives.

How Do I Obtain Louisiana Divorce Records?

Louisiana divorce records are only available from the Office of the Court Clerk in the parish where the divorce decree occurred. Persons requiring these records will need to contact the appropriate Clerk of the Court to make a request. The person requesting the document will need to provide information which may include:

• Name of Husband on the record
• Name of Wife on the record (maiden name)
• Parish where the divorce happened
• The date the divorce happened
• The date the divorce was finalized
• Divorce Certificate number

The person requesting the record will need to pay all applicable fees (costs may vary for different parishes) and provide official proof of the relationship with the person on the record before processing of the document will commence. The person requesting the document will also need to provide appropriate identification to receive the record.

Are Louisiana Birth Records Public Information?

Louisiana birth records older than 100 years are public records. Until this statutory period of confidentiality elapses, access to vital records is restricted to the person named on the record, immediate family members, and legal representatives.

How Do I Obtain Louisiana Birth Records?

Eligible persons can obtain certified copies of Louisiana birth records less than 100 years old from the Louisiana Department of Health. Requests for closed birth records can be made in person, by mail, or online. A fee of $9 is charged for the short-form copy and $15 for the long-form copy of the certificate on record. Mail-in requests also carry an additional state charge of $0.50 for each order. All requests for birth records must include proper identification, appropriate fees, and a completed application.

Eligible persons can order birth certificate replacements by bringing the completed application, fees, and identification to

Vital Records Central Office
Suite 400
1450 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

In-Person Requests can also be made at participating Louisiana Clerks of the Court or vital records kiosks. Additional fees may apply for these options. Walk-in services accept cash, check, money orders, and credit/debit cards as forms of payment. Office hours are Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m - 3:30 p.m.

Mail requests for Louisiana Birth Records require that the applicant mails the application with the complete fee and appropriate form of identification to

Bureau of Vital Records and Statistics
PO Box 60630
New Orleans, LA 70610

Mail requests will incur an additional fifty cents state charge, and cash is not accepted. The applicant should allow 8-10 weeks for delivery.

Louisiana Birth Records which are older than 100 years can be requested from:

Louisiana State Archives
3851 Essen Lane
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

Are Louisiana Death Records Open to the Public?

Louisiana death records older than 50 years (from the filing date) are available to interested members of the public. Pending the expiration of this statutory period of confidentiality, persons who show evidence of their eligibility may receive certified copies of death records. These persons include: 

• Surviving spouse of the person named on the document. (Must be listed as the Surviving Spouse on the document)
• Parents of the person named on the document
• An adult child of the person named on the document
• An adult sibling of the person named on the document
• Grandparents of the person named on the document
• An adult grandchild of the person named on the document
• A person named in a court proceeding as a member of the immediate or surviving family of the person named in the certificate.
• The beneficiary of an insurance policy or trust (must have a signed copy of the policy listing applicant as beneficiary).
• A succession representative.

Louisiana public death records become available after 50 years and are retained by the State Archives.

How Do I Obtain Louisiana Death Records?

Eligible persons can obtain death records in Louisiana, for which less than 50 years have passed since the filing of the record from the Bureau of Vital records. Eligible persons can initiate a death record search by name online, by mail, or in person. The Bureau will charge a fee of $7 for this record. All requests must include a completed application form, complete payment, and appropriate identification.

In-person requests can be made by bringing the completed application, fees, and the proper identification to

Vital Records Central Office
Suite 400
1450 Poydras Street
New Orleans, LA 70112

Interested persons may also initiate a death certificate search statewide through participating Louisiana Clerks of Court and vital records kiosks. However, these options might incur additional fees. Cash, checks, money order, and credit/debit cards are accepted as forms of payment for walk-in services. Office hours are Monday to Friday, from 8 .a.m - 3:30 p.m.

For mail-in requests, send a completed application form with the appropriate fee (Do not send cash by mail) and a copy of proper identification to

Bureau of Vital Records
PO Box 60630
New Orleans, LA 70610

Requests by mail will incur an additional state charge of fifty cents. Applicants should allow for 8-10 weeks for delivery.

How Do I Obtain Sealed Vital Records?

Typically Louisiana Vital Records are not sealed when filed with the Bureau of Vital Records and Statistics. The best recourse for persons looking to obtain sealed vital records is to petition a court of competent jurisdiction. The presiding judge will typically issue a court order if the petitioner can demonstrate a tangible interest in the vital record. One way to fulfill this requirement is to show that releasing the record protects a personal or property interest. For example, persons who are beneficiaries of an insurance policy listing a deceased person may petition the court to allow access to certified copies of the death certificate.