Georgia ranks 31st out of 51 (the 50 states and D.C.) for how easy, fast and affordable it is to get certified birth, marriage, divorce and death records.
Cost#29of 51
Speed#45of 51
Ease of ordering#22of 51
Birth certificates #35 of 51
Cost
$25 first copy, $5 each extra copy
Processing time
Online: up to 10 weeks; mail: 8–10 weeks; in person: walk-in service available; wait time not published
Time until the copy is in hand
Up to 10 weeks
Where to order
State office or a local county office
Order online
Yes, through the state
Records available
State records from January 1919; earlier records from the county
Marriage records #26 of 51
Cost
$10 first copy, $5 each extra copy
Processing time
Mail: up to 10 weeks; in person: walk-in service available; wait time not published
Time until the copy is in hand
Up to 10 weeks
Where to order
State office or a local county office
Order online
No
Records available
The state holds June 1952 to August 1996 only; other years from the Probate Court in the county where the license was issued
Divorce records #27 (tie) of 51
Cost
Varies by county
Processing time
Varies by county
Time until the copy is in hand
Varies by county
Where to order
County only: the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted
Order online
No statewide online ordering
Records available
The state issues verification letters only, for 1952–1996
Death certificates #35 of 51
Cost
$25 first copy, $5 each extra copy
Processing time
Online: up to 10 weeks; mail: 8–10 weeks; in person: walk-in service available; wait time not published
Time until the copy is in hand
Up to 10 weeks
Where to order
State office or a local county office
Order online
Yes, through the state
Records available
State records from January 1919
Note: These rankings were done on . Prices, processing times and ordering rules may have changed since then, so check with the issuing office before you order. Times marked “estimate” add typical mail delivery to the office’s posted processing time. “Not published” means the office does not post that detail.
How to order Georgia birth, death, marriage and divorce records
How do I get a Georgia birth certificate?
A certified Georgia birth certificate costs $25 for the first copy and $5 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. Order from a county vital records office or the State Office of Vital Records in Atlanta, in person or by mail, or online through ROVER, GO Certificates or VitalChek. State mail and online orders can take up to 10 weeks.
Georgia birth records: ordering details
Who can order
Only people with a direct and tangible interest: the person named, a legal spouse, parents named on the certificate, grandparents, adult children, adult siblings, and legal guardians or legal representatives. Each needs proof. Grandparents send the birth certificate of the registrant’s parent. Adult children and siblings send their own birth certificate showing a shared parent. Spouses send a copy of the marriage certificate, a photocopy of the spouse’s signature and a notarized letter of permission from the spouse. Guardians send a certified court order. Attorneys send a notarized letter on letterhead.
Fee
$25 for the first certified copy (the non-refundable search fee includes one copy if the record is found) and $5 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. If no record is found, you get a not-on-file letter. Amendments are $10 plus the certificate fee. Optional expedited online shipping: $16 per order.
How to order
Online: the ROVER state ordering site, or the approved vendors GO Certificates and VitalChek (877-572-6343), all by credit card. Expedited FedEx shipping through the vendors is $16 per order and speeds up only the delivery, not the processing. By mail: the Request for Search of Birth (Form 3918), a photocopy of your valid photo ID and a U.S. money order or certified check payable to the State Office of Vital Records to State Office of Vital Records, 1680 Phoenix Blvd., Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349 (404-679-4702). Don’t send cash; personal checks aren’t accepted. DPH’s mail-ordering page also lets you mail a regular birth request to your county vital records office. In person: the State Office of Vital Records at the same address (lobby open 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday–Friday, except state holidays) or one of Georgia’s 159 county vital records offices. Walk-in customers can pay by credit or debit card or cash.
ID needed
A photocopy of a valid photo ID. Accepted IDs include a Georgia ID card (unexpired or expired for not more than one year), an unexpired ID from another U.S. state or territory, a U.S. military, dependent or veteran ID, a TWIC card, a current school or college ID with number and signature, and a Department of Driver Services or Department of Corrections ID. The state doesn’t accept electronic or digital IDs. Parents must be listed on the certificate. Other relatives need proof of the relationship, as above.
Processing time
State Office mail orders: 8–10 weeks. Online orders through ROVER, GO Certificates or VitalChek: processing and shipping up to 10 weeks. Times can be longer when request volumes are high. For urgent travel, the state says to visit your nearest vital records office; it doesn’t publish a walk-in wait time. Requests open for more than a year are closed automatically. Estimate: allow the full 10 weeks for a state mail or online order.
Older and local records
The State Office has births from January 1919 to the present. For earlier births, contact the county where the birth occurred or the Georgia Archives. Since July 1, 2025, adults born in Georgia can request an uncertified copy of their original (pre-adoption) birth certificate.
Tip: Newborn birth certificates aren’t mailed to parents automatically. You have to order one online or at a vital records office.
A certified Georgia death certificate costs $25 for the first copy and $5 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. Order from a county vital records office or the State Office of Vital Records, in person or by mail, or online. State mail orders take 8–10 weeks.
Georgia death records: ordering details
Who can order
Certified copies go to people with a direct and tangible interest: a legal spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, and others with a tangible interest such as a beneficiary or insurance company, or legal representatives of the family. Anyone else can order a plain paper copy, with the Social Security number blacked out.
Fee
$25 for the first certified copy (this includes a three-year search and one copy if the record is found; the search fee isn’t refundable) and $5 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. Optional expedited online shipping: $16 per order.
How to order
Online: the ROVER state ordering site, or the approved vendors GO Certificates and VitalChek (877-572-6343), all by credit card. Expedited FedEx shipping through the vendors is $16 per order and speeds up only the delivery, not the processing. By mail: the Request for Search of Death Record (Form 3912), which must give the county where the death occurred, a photocopy of your valid photo ID and a U.S. money order or certified check payable to the State Office of Vital Records to State Office of Vital Records, 1680 Phoenix Blvd., Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349 (404-679-4702). Don’t send cash; personal checks aren’t accepted. You can also mail a regular death request to your county vital records office. In person: the State Office of Vital Records at the same address (lobby open 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday–Friday, except state holidays) or one of Georgia’s 159 county vital records offices. Walk-in customers can pay by credit or debit card or cash.
ID needed
A photocopy of a valid photo ID. Accepted IDs include a Georgia ID card (unexpired or expired for not more than one year), an unexpired ID from another U.S. state or territory, a U.S. military, dependent or veteran ID, a TWIC card, a current school or college ID with number and signature, and a Department of Driver Services or Department of Corrections ID. The state doesn’t accept electronic or digital IDs.
Processing time
State Office mail orders: 8–10 weeks. Online orders through ROVER, GO Certificates or VitalChek: processing and shipping up to 10 weeks. Times can be longer when request volumes are high. For urgent travel, the state says to visit your nearest vital records office; it doesn’t publish a walk-in wait time. Requests open for more than a year are closed automatically. Estimate: allow the full 10 weeks for a state mail or online order.
Older and local records
The State Office has deaths from January 1919 to the present. Some county vital records offices have older death records; contact them directly.
Tip: The request form needs the county where the death occurred, so find that out before you order.
For most years, order a Georgia marriage certificate from the Probate Court in the county that issued the license. The State Office of Vital Records has marriages only from June 1952 to August 1996. It charges $10, including one certified copy, and $5 for each extra copy.
Georgia marriage records: ordering details
Where records are kept
Every marriage is recorded by the Probate Court in the county that issued the license. The State Office of Vital Records has certified copies of marriage applications and certificates from June 1952 to August 1996. For marriages on or after January 1, 2014, it can also search and issue a marriage verification letter, which helps if you don’t know the county or need it for genealogy. Changes to a marriage record are handled by the Probate Court.
Who can order
Marriage records are public, but only the two spouses can get a certified copy of the marriage application.
Fee
State Office: $10 search fee, which includes one certified copy or one verification letter if the record is found (non-refundable), plus $5 for each extra copy ordered at the same time. Probate Court copies: fees vary by county.
How to order
County: contact the Probate Court in the county where the license was issued. By mail: the Request for Search of Marriage form (3913) or the Marriage Verification Request form, a photocopy of your valid photo ID and a U.S. money order or certified check payable to the State Office of Vital Records (the marriage form says “GA State Office of Vital Records”); one money order or check per application to State Office of Vital Records, 1680 Phoenix Blvd., Suite 100, Atlanta, GA 30349 (404-679-4702). Don’t send cash; personal checks aren’t accepted. In person: the State Office of Vital Records at the same address (lobby open 9 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday–Friday, except state holidays) or one of Georgia’s 159 county vital records offices. Walk-in customers can pay by credit or debit card or cash.
ID needed
State Office: a photocopy of a valid photo ID, from the same list as for birth and death records. Probate Court: contact the court.
Processing time
State Office: the marriage pages don’t give a time. DPH’s general guidance is up to 10 weeks for state orders. Probate Court: contact the court.
Older records
Marriages before June 1952 and after August 1996 are only at the Probate Court in the county where the license was issued.
Tip: Know the county? Go straight to that county’s Probate Court, which has every year. The state has only 1952 to 1996.
Georgia divorce decrees are kept by the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted. Contact that clerk for a certified copy; fees and times vary by county.
Georgia divorce records: ordering details
Where records are kept
The Clerk of Superior Court in the county that granted the divorce keeps the case file and decree. The Georgia DPH vital records site doesn’t offer divorce records. The CDC’s Where to Write directory lists a State Office of Vital Records verification letter for divorces from June 1952 to August 1996, confirming the date and county of the divorce. Call the State Office at 404-679-4702 to confirm it is still available before you send a request.
Who can order
Varies by county. Contact the Clerk of Superior Court.
Fee
Varies by county. The CDC lists the state verification letter at $10.
How to order
Contact the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted. For the state verification letter, call the State Office of Vital Records at 404-679-4702 first.
ID needed
Varies by county. The CDC says the state verification requires a photocopy of a valid government-issued photo ID.
Processing time
Varies by county. Contact the clerk.
Older records
Divorces before 1952 and after 1996 are available only from the Clerk of Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted.
Tip: A state verification letter only confirms the date and county of the divorce. For the decree itself, you need the Clerk of Superior Court.
Note: Fees, processing times and rules are set by the issuing offices and can change. Times are estimates. Check with the office before you order. PublicLibraries.com is not a government agency.
Other records
Other Georgia records people search for
Official Georgia sites for other common lookups. Some records are kept by counties or carry fees; the note on each line says so.
Official Georgia sites for other records
Court case lookup
Georgia eAccess court records Case records are kept by each county clerk; some portals need an account or charge fees.
Note: Links go to official state sites or services the state designates. Access rules, fees and coverage are set by each office and can change. PublicLibraries.com is not a government agency.
About Georgia public records
Georgia is required to ensure open access to all records that are considered public to its citizens. The Open Records Law, which is actually a series of laws passed over the years to guarantee open access to any form of data that is produced, received or stored by the state’s government agencies, stipulates that members of the public have the right to see, inspect and copy records that are defined as public. Types of data that fall in this category include: documents, papers, letters, maps, books, tapes, photographs, computer-based and computer-generated information, and any other material produced as part of the state’s government agencies’ function.
Public records in Georgia also include information in the custody of individuals or private entities that has been produced or received by the entity in relation to the function of government agencies, including records resulting from the cooperation of private and government entities.
There are two main hubs for public records in Georgia and these are the Georgia Administrative Office of the Courts and the State Office for Vital Records. However, county agencies are also custodians of public records and, depending on the record you need and your location, you can decide whether it will be easier and quicker to request a public record from the central hub or the county custodian.
Vital Records
Georgia birth, death, marriage and divorce records are handled by the State Office of Vital Records, which is a division of the Department of Public Health. Vital records can be ordered in person at their office:
State Office of Vital Records 1680 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30349 404-679-4702
Birth certificates -- While the division stores birth certificates from 1919 to date, there are limitations as to who may access these. To be eligible for access to birth records, you need to be either the person whose certificate it is, one of the parents or grandparents of that person, a child of the person whose certificate you need or a sibling -- in both of these cases you will need to be an adult – or a spouse of the person, or an authorized legal guardian, or another legally authorized agent.
A request form is available at the Department of Public Health, which you need to fill in and sign, and add to a photocopy of a valid ID, including a driver’s license, state issued ID, employee ID card or a passport, all valid, and a certified check or money order for the $25 fee.
Death certificates -- To be eligible for access to death records you have to be in a direct family relationship with the person whose name is on the certificate or a legal representative of the family, which are the most common cases. These records can be requested both from the county where the death occurred and from the central Office for Vital Records. Like for birth certificates, a valid ID is necessary plus a filled in and signed application form and a check or money order for the $25 fee that the Office charges for supplying the document.
Marriage records -- it’s important to know that the Office for Vital Records only keeps marriage records for the period 1952-1996. If you need a record issued after 1996, you have to request it from the Probate Court in the county where the event occurred. The same is true if you are doing research that involves marriage certificates issued before 1952. The request includes a filled in form, a photocopy of a valid ID and a certified check/money order for the $10 fee.
Divorce records -- Certified copies of divorce records can only be issued by the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the divorce decree was issued. However, the Office for Vital Records can conduct a search and provide you with a divorce confirmation. Only a request form and evidence for fee payment need to be supplied in this case.
In all cases listed above, the request can be submitted either in person or by mail.
Liens -- All kinds of liens can be found online on the website of the Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Authority. This search is free of charge and there are no eligibility criteria. All you need is the type of party you will be searching for, type of lien, and name.
Court records -- for court records, you would need to contact the specific court whose records you need to access. The website of the Administrative Office of the Courts contains useful information regarding court rules and forms, as well as caseload reports for the period 2007-2012 and annual reports on the work of every court and the AOC itself for the period up until 2013.
Driving records -- You can request a driving history report for yourself by registering with the Georgia Department of Driver Services. You have the option of getting either a three-year or a seven-year report as of the date of request, and the report can be either certified or non-certified. The non-certified version is viewable online for a period of 30 days after the date of request, and the certified version is non-viewable. It is printed, certified and sent to an address of your choice. Fees vary depending on the period, which you want the report to cover and its type. You can also check a driver’s license status online, granted the license you want to check was issued in Georgia.
Property records -- The Georgia Superior Court Clerks’ Authority website contains a real estate index that includes all property transactions from the beginning of 1999 onwards, from all counties in the state. The information contained in the index includes buyers’ and sellers’ names, location, liens, and the book and page of the deed’s filing with the relevant county authority. Data about transactions for 1993 to 1998 are in the process of being added to the database.
Business records -- Corporate entities in Georgia are registered with the Secretary of State’s Corporate Division. To view records including annual registrations, corporate filings, name reservations and certified copy orders, among others, you will need to create an account and log into the Secretary of State website with it to access the information you need.
