New York State Vital Records Office Please note: Genealogy Requests for an uncertified copy of a record are $22.00 and may take from 9 to 10 months to process. This includes a copy of the certificate, a three-year search of the index, the retrieval and re-filing of the microfilm/microfiche and either a copy of the record or a no record report. When more than a three-year search is requested, the fee is higher. For the area outside of the five boroughs of New York City (except for births occurring in Queens and Richmond counties for the years 1881-1897). For vital records in the five boroughs of NYC contact the New York City Dept of Health.
You may also send your request directly to the local registrar or town clerk of the city, town or village where the birth or death occurred. A marriage license may be obtained from any town clerk in the state.
The time periods listed below for obtaining a vital record are waived if the applicant is a descendant or has been designated to act on behalf of a descendant of the person whose record is being requested. The $11.00 fee for a genealogical copy includes both a copy of the certificate (marked "For Genealogical Purposes Only.") and a search of their files for up to three years. If they can find no certificate for the event, you will receive a "No Record Certification" form. New York State Archives New York Department of Education Cultural Education Center, Room 11D40 Albany, NY 12230 (518) 474-8955 An index to genealogy records is available for searching at the State Archives, located at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Contact them for more information about using this index. - Search New York Databases online for birth, marriage, census, death, immigration, naturalization, military records and more at Ancestry
- Click Here to Start Your Family Tree Today - It's FREE
- Search the Social Security Death Index online for FREE
- Order birth and death records online quickly and easily via VitalChek
| Record | Cost | Dates | Ordering | | Birth | $30.00 | since 1881 | Order Online | Mail Order | | | Genealogy copies are available (see prices) if the certificate has been on file for at least 75 years and the person whose name is on the birth certificate is known to be dead. |
| | Death | $30.00 | since 1880 | Order Online | Mail Order | | | Genealogy copies are available (see prices) if the certificate has been on file for at least 50 years.
- Click here to search the Social Security Death Index
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| | Marriage | $30.00 | since 1881 | Order Online | Mail Order | | | Genealogy copies are available (see prices) if the certificate has been on file for at least 50 years and the bride and groom are both known to be deceased. |
| | Marriage | Fees vary | 1880-1907 | Order Online | | | | For marriage records and licenses issued in the cities of Albany, Buffalo or Yonkers, apply to
- Albany: City Clerk, City Hall, Albany, NY 12207
- Buffalo: City Clerk, City Hall, Buffalo, NY 14202
- Yonkers: City Clerk, City Hall, Yonkers, NY 10701.
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| | Divorce | $30.00 | since Jan 1963 | Order Online | Mail Order | | | If the records are not available at the State office, they should be available from the County Clerk in the county where the divorce was granted. |
| | Divorce | | since 1847 | Order Online | | | | Since 1847 divorce actions in New York have been handled in the supreme court for the county in which the divorce was heard. New York divorce files, however, are sealed for one hundred years. In colonialtimes, petitions for divorce had to be made to the governor or legislature, and only a few were granted. The court of chancery granted divorces from 1787 to 1847. These older records are in the State Archives. |
| | Genealogy Requests | $22.00 for 3 yr search | | | Mail Order | | | may take 9 to 10 months to process |
| | Adoptee Registration | Click here for information | | | |
| | Birth Parent Registration | Click here for information | | | |
| | Census | | 1790 through 1930 | Search U.S. Federal Census Records Online |
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Index to New York County Vital Records Offices Birth and Death records are filed with the Clerk of the city, town or village in which the event occurred and, normally, with the New York State Bureau of Vital Records.A marriage license may sometimes be obtained from the town or city clerk who issued the license. The fee is $10.00 if you obtain a certified copy from a town or city clerk. Since 1847 divorce actions in New York have been handled in the supreme court for the county in which the divorce was heard. New York divorce files, however, are sealed for one hundred years. Counties keep land transfer records, wills, probates, etc. An index to genealogy records is available for searching at the State Archives, located at the Empire State Plaza in Albany. Contact (518) 474-8955 for more information about using this index. The indexes at the New York State Archives in Albany, NY do NOT include those for the boroughs of New York City. Follow this link to Rootsweb to determine what county a city or town is in.
Albany .
Allegany .
Bronx .
Broome .
Cattaraugus .
Cayuga .
Chautauqua .
Chemung .
Chenango .
Clinton .
Columbia .
Cortland .
Delaware .
Dutchess .
Erie .
Essex .
Franklin .
Fulton .
Genesee .
Greene .
Hamilton .
Herkimer .
Jefferson .
Kings .
Lewis .
Livingston .
Madison .
Monroe .
Montgomery .
Nassau .
New York .
New York City .
Niagara .
Oneida .
Onondaga .
Ontario .
Orange .
Orleans .
Oswego .
Otsego .
Putnam .
Queens .
Rensselaer .
Richmond .
Rockland .
Saratoga .
Schenectady .
Schoharie .
Schuyler .
Seneca .
St. Lawrence .
Steuben .
Suffolk .
Sullivan .
Tioga .
Tompkins .
Ulster .
Warren .
Washington .
Wayne .
Westchester .
Wyoming .
Yates .
Searchable Databases and other Helpful Links- Start Your Family Tree Today
It's FREE. Enter a few simple facts about recent generations of your family. Watch it grow. - New York USGenWeb Project
genealogical gateway to the state and counties - USGenWeb Archives for New York
online cemeteries, deeds, censuses, obituaries & other records - Search New York Databases Online
Search for birth, marriage, census, death, immigration, naturalization, military records and more at Ancestry - Search the 1790-1930 New York Census Online
 Find your ancestor's year and place of birth, year of marriage, home address, occupation, property information and more at Ancestry - Now Available! Family Tree Maker 2008
 the bestselling, easy-to-use family tree software will help you create, grow, and share the story of your own - Cyndi's List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet - New York
your genealogy starting point online for more than a decade! - Genealogy Today
unique collection of databases and innovative search tools, original articles from experienced genealogists - New York Marriages, 1600-1784
- New York Marriages to 1784
- New York Marriage Notices, 1800-55
a collection of marriage notices published in newspapers around the state in the first half the nineteenth century at Ancestry - New York, Marriage Newspaper Extracts, 1801-1880
index to extracts from the "Brooklyn Eagle" years 1841-1880 and the extracts from the "New York Evening Post" years 1801-1837 at Ancestry - New York, Death Newspaper Extracts, 1801-1890
- New York Naturalization Petition Index 1907-24
an index to naturalization petition cards originally compiled by the New York County Supreme Court (in Manhattan, New York, U.S.A.) between 1907 and 1924 at Ancestry - New York Pensioners, 1835
identifies thousands of New York soldiers who were covered under various pension acts in the early 1800s at Ancestry - New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
- American Marriages Before 1699
over ten thousand entries including New York at Ancestry Other States . Birth Certificates . Death Records . Marriage licenses . Related Links . Guidelines
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