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Keepsake Birth Certificates

The Center for Health Statistics can issue a Keepsake Birth Certificate, suitable for framing, for anyone born in Alabama for whom there is a record on file in our office. By Alabama law, birth certificates are confidential records with restricted access for 125 years from the date of birth. They may be obtained by the following persons upon payment of the proper fee:

  • Person named on the certificate
  • Mother or father of person named on the certificate
  • Husband or wife of person named on the certificate
  • Son or daughter of person named on the certificate
  • Sister or brother of person named on the certificate

If you are not one of the above named individuals, you must have written and signed permission from an authorized individual in order to obtain a Keepsake Birth Certificate. The application form for a Keepsake Birth Certificate may be used for that purpose.

An authorized individual must complete and sign the application form and write the name of the person he or she is allowing to order the Keepsake Birth Certificate on the line provided in the "Applicant" section of the application form. If you are not an authorized individual and do not have written and signed permission to order the Keepsake Birth Certificate, your request will not be processed.

Effective May 1, 2017, identification will be required to obtain a restricted Keepsake Birth Certificate. View ID Requirements for more information.

The following information will be on the Keepsake Birth Certificate you receive. This information comes from the birth certificate as filed with the Center for Health Statistics:

  • Child's Full Name
  • Child's Date of Birth
  • Child's County of Birth
  • Parents' Full Names

The fee to search for and provide one copy of a Keepsake Birth Certificate is $45.00. Make the check or money order payable to the "State Board of Health." Fees are non-refundable. If the record is not located, you will receive a Certificate of Failure to Find, but will still be responsible for the $15.00 fee to search for the record. Each Keepsake Birth Certificate requested is $45.00, even if it is for the same child. A portion of the fees provides for abused and neglected children through programs provided by The Alabama Children's Trust Fund.

Please note that a Keepsake Birth Certificate cannot be used for legal purposes. It is intended only as a keepsake that may be framed and displayed. There are three designs to choose from.





Page last updated: May 13, 2021