Louisiana Vital Records

Are Louisiana Vital Records Public?

Louisiana vital records are mostly closed and 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 Shows Up in Louisiana Vital Records?

A Louisiana vital record is created following the birth, death, marriage, or divorce of a state resident. These records offer an official account of vital events and are recorded and disseminated by the Department of Health pursuant to the provision of state law.

How Do I Search for Louisiana Vital Records Online?

Persons seeking Louisiana vital records may send a request to the custodian via their designated online platform. However, vital records are rarely held in government-owned searchable databases because of the privacy requirements associated with their dissemination. Requesting vital records requires providing the information necessary for facilitating a search, especially the names of the persons on the record. The date and location of the life event are also important in finding vital records.

Publicly available vital records are managed and disseminated by some third-party aggregate sites. These sites are generally not limited by geographical record availability and may serve as a convenient 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, provided it is not a juvenile.

Requesters must provide relevant information associated with the record to conduct an online search for vital records. Some of these include:

• The registrant's name
• Date of the event
• Place of the event
• City or county where the life event occurred
• First and last name of parents
• Presiding judge (for marriage or divorce 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.

Certified Copy vs. Informational Copy: Understanding the Difference

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 old 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 of 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
P.O. Box 94125
Baton Rouge, LA 70804

How to Get a Louisiana Marriage Certificate

Certified copies of marriage certificates or other marriage records can be requested from the Clerk of Court in the parish where the marriage took place. In Louisiana, the only parish where marriage certificates can be found and ordered online is Orleans. The only way to obtain marriage certificates from any other parish in the state is to get in touch with that parish's clerk of court. A certified copy of a parish’s marriage certificate can currently be obtained in one of three ways:

• In-person - Interested parties may submit an application for a certified copy of a marriage certificate in person by visiting the Vital Records Central Office in Louisiana with their photo identification and the required payment.
• By mail - Requests for marriage certificates can also be sent by mail along with the proper documentation and fee to:

Vital Records Database
P.O. Box 60630
70160 New Orleans, LA

• Requests can also be made by fax or telephone using the accredited third-party service provider. However, there are additional costs associated with using such services.

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.

How to Get a Certified Divorce Certificate in Louisiana

Eligible persons can request a divorce certificate from the Clerk of Court in the parish where the divorce proceedings took place. Divorce certificates can also be ordered from the Louisiana Vital Records Registry. Only divorce records (dissolution of marriage records) older than 50 years are kept by the Louisiana Vital Records Registry, including divorce certificates. Requesters can also get in touch with the Louisiana State Archives to obtain copies of older copies of divorce certificates that have become public.

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
P.O. 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

Is a Birth Certificate Public Record in Louisiana?

No, Louisiana is a “closed record” state. Hence, public access to birth certificates are restricted. Only specific eligible persons can request birth certificates. These include the registrants themselves, the parents named on the certificate, and the registrant’s child(ren), spouse, sibling(s), grandparent(s), and grandchild(ren).

Interested persons could also request birth certificates pursuant to a court order. A registrant's legal representative can also request their birth certificate. Generally, requesters are required to demonstrate their eligibility by providing a legitimate form of identification when requesting birth certificates in Louisiana. However, after 100 years from the date of birth, birth certificates become public records.

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
P.O. 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.

Is a Death Certificate Public Record in Louisiana?

No. Since Louisiana is a "closed record" state, death certificates are maintained as private information. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, death records must adhere to strict confidentiality for 50 years following the decedent’s date of death. All requests for death certificates must be accompanied by the required documentation, payment, and an application. Per state laws, in order to request another person’s death certificate, the requester be related to the decedent in one of the following ways:

• Surviving partner
• Parent or parent
• Adult child
• Brother or sister
• A grandfather or grandmother
• Grandchild
• A member of the decedent’s immediate or surviving family in a judicial proceeding
• The owner of a trust or an insurance policy (requires a signed copy of the insurance policy designating the applicant as beneficiary)
• An advocate for succession (must provide a certified Letter of Testamentary or Letter of Administration certified by the Clerk of Court)

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.

What are Vital Statistics in Louisiana?

In Louisiana, vital statistics contain official birth, death, fetal death, and marriage statistics for the state. Louisiana's vital records registry compiles and keeps track of Louisiana's vital data. The department compiles vital records with statutory requirements for the documentation of birth, death, fetal death, marriage, and other vital events in the state.

The Louisiana Center for Health Statistics uses data from vital statistics to support health research initiatives in partnership with educational, private, public, and community-based organizations. Indicators and evaluations of the state's health status are also provided through vital statistics, which are also used to monitor possible health issues in Louisiana and plan and evaluate health programs.