Vermont ranks 5th 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#3of 51
Speed#4 (tie)of 51
Ease of ordering#17of 51
Birth certificates #5 of 51
Cost
$10 per copy ($12 online)
Processing time
Online: most orders ship within 5–7 business days; in person: at the town or city clerk; wait time not published
Time until the copy is in hand
About 1.5–2.5 weeks online (estimate)
Where to order
State office or the town or city clerk
Order online
Yes, through the state
Records available
State records from January 1909
Marriage records #5 of 51
Cost
$10 per copy ($12 online)
Processing time
Online: most orders ship within 5–7 business days; in person: at the town or city clerk; wait time not published
Time until the copy is in hand
About 1.5–2.5 weeks online (estimate)
Where to order
State office or the town or city clerk
Order online
Yes, through the state
Records available
Health Department from 2024; State Archives for 1909–2023; also from the town or city clerk
Divorce records #7 of 51
Cost
$10 per copy ($12 online)
Processing time
Online: most orders ship within 5–7 business days; mail: not published
Time until the copy is in hand
About 1.5–2.5 weeks online (estimate)
Where to order
State office (Health Department from 2024; State Archives for 1909–2023); full decrees from the Superior Court
Order online
Yes, through the state
Records available
Health Department from 2024; State Archives for 1909–2023
Death certificates #6 of 51
Cost
$10 per copy ($12 online)
Processing time
Online: most orders ship within 5–7 business days; in person: at the town or city clerk; wait time not published
Time until the copy is in hand
About 1.5–2.5 weeks online (estimate)
Where to order
State office or the town or city clerk
Order online
Yes, through the state
Records available
State records from January 1909
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 Vermont birth, death, marriage and divorce records
How do I get a Vermont birth certificate?
A certified Vermont birth certificate costs $10. If you’re in Vermont, the fastest way is your town or city clerk, who can issue any Vermont birth certificate from 1909 on. You can also order online through Vermont.gov ($12 per copy) or by mail from the Department of Health.
Vermont birth records: ordering details
Who can order
The person named (birth certificates only), a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandchild or grandparent, a legal guardian, a court-appointed executor or administrator, a legal representative of one of these, or someone with a certified court order. Anyone can get a noncertified copy.
Fee
$10 per certified copy from the Health Department or the State Archives, including extra copies. Online through Vermont.gov: $12 per copy, with optional overnight shipping for a flat $14.50. Noncertified copies are available at no charge. Town and city clerks also issue certified copies; the Health Department calls the clerk the fastest and cheapest option in Vermont.
Required for certified birth and death certificates. One of: a U.S. driver’s license or ID card, a tribal or U.S. military ID with your signature, a U.S. or foreign passport, a green card, an employment authorization card, or a State of Vermont employee ID. Without one, send two documents from the state’s list that together show your current address and signature (for example, a car registration with a bank statement or utility bill). By mail, include a copy.
Processing time
Town or city clerk: contact the clerk (the Health Department calls it the fastest option). Online: most orders ship by standard mail within 5–7 business days; overnight shipping goes out the day the order is filled. Mail: not published. Estimate: about 1.5–2.5 weeks to have an online order in hand by standard mail.
Older and local records
State birth records start in January 1909. For births in 1908 and earlier, contact the town or city clerk where the birth was recorded. For family history research, see the State Archives vital records resources.
Tip: You don’t have to go to the town where you were born. Any town clerk that issues vital records can print a Vermont birth certificate from 1909 on.
A certified Vermont death certificate costs $10. In Vermont, the fastest way is your town or city clerk, who can issue any Vermont death certificate from 1909 on. You can also order online through Vermont.gov ($12 per copy) or by mail from the Department of Health.
Vermont death records: ordering details
Who can order
The person named (birth certificates only), a spouse, child, parent, sibling, grandchild or grandparent, a legal guardian, a court-appointed executor or administrator, a legal representative of one of these, or someone with a certified court order. Also a petitioner for the estate, the funeral home or crematorium (authority for final disposition), the Social Security Administration, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the deceased’s insurance carrier. Anyone can get a noncertified copy.
Fee
$10 per certified copy from the Health Department or the State Archives, including extra copies. Online through Vermont.gov: $12 per copy, with optional overnight shipping for a flat $14.50. Noncertified copies are available at no charge. Town and city clerks also issue certified copies; the Health Department calls the clerk the fastest and cheapest option in Vermont.
Required for certified birth and death certificates. One of: a U.S. driver’s license or ID card, a tribal or U.S. military ID with your signature, a U.S. or foreign passport, a green card, an employment authorization card, or a State of Vermont employee ID. Without one, send two documents from the state’s list that together show your current address and signature (for example, a car registration with a bank statement or utility bill). By mail, include a copy.
Processing time
Town or city clerk: contact the clerk (the Health Department calls it the fastest option). Online: most orders ship by standard mail within 5–7 business days; overnight shipping goes out the day the order is filled. Mail: not published. Estimate: about 1.5–2.5 weeks to have an online order in hand by standard mail.
Older and local records
State death records start in January 1909. For deaths in 1908 and earlier, contact the town or city clerk where the death was recorded.
Tip: If you only need the facts for genealogy, ask for a noncertified copy. There’s no charge, and you can request one by email from the Health Department.
A certified Vermont marriage certificate costs $10. Start with the town or city clerk where the marriage is on file. By mail, order marriages from 2024 on from the Department of Health and marriages from 1909–2023 from the State Archives; online orders through Vermont.gov cost $12.
Vermont marriage records: ordering details
Certified copy vs. verification
Certified copies are printed on engraved security paper with a raised seal. Noncertified copies (plain paper, watermarked) are available at no charge.
Who can order
The state’s marriage application asks for your relationship to the people named and the purpose of the request; it does not list the relative-only rules that apply to birth and death certificates.
Fee
$10 per certified copy from the Health Department or the State Archives, including extra copies. Online through Vermont.gov: $12 per copy, with optional overnight shipping for a flat $14.50. Noncertified copies are available at no charge. Town and city clerks also issue certified copies; the Health Department calls the clerk the fastest and cheapest option in Vermont. An apostille from the State Archives is $10 more.
How to order
Town or city clerk: the clerk in the town where the marriage certificate is on file. Online: the Vermont Vital Records Request Service on Vermont.gov. By mail, 2024 to present: the Application for Certified Copy of Vermont Marriage or Divorce or Civil Union Dissolution Certificate, a check or money order payable to “Vermont Department of Health,” and a self-addressed envelope to Vital Records Office, Vermont Department of Health, 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-8370. By mail, 1909–2023 (and civil unions):form VSARA-09 with a check or money order payable to “Vermont Secretary of State” and a self-addressed stamped envelope to VSARA, 1078 US Route 2, Middlesex, Montpelier, VT 05633-7701 (802-828-3700).
ID needed
The state’s marriage applications do not list an ID requirement. Town clerks and the online service may ask for one.
Processing time
Town or city clerk: contact the clerk (the Health Department calls it the fastest option). Online: most orders ship by standard mail within 5–7 business days; overnight shipping goes out the day the order is filled. Mail: not published. Estimate: about 1.5–2.5 weeks to have an online order in hand by standard mail.
Older records
The State Archives issues marriage records from 1909 through 2023; the Department of Health handles 2024 on. For older marriages, contact the town clerk where the marriage was recorded.
Tip: Check the year before you mail anything. Marriages from 2023 and earlier go to the State Archives, not the Health Department.
A certified Vermont Certificate of Divorce costs $10 by mail, or $12 online through Vermont.gov. Divorces from 2024 on come from the Department of Health; 1909–2023 from the State Archives. For the full divorce decree, contact the Superior Court, Family Division where the case was filed.
Vermont divorce records: ordering details
Certified copy vs. verification
The Certificate of Divorce shows that you were divorced. If you need the details, ask the court for a copy of the decree.
Who can order
The state’s divorce application asks for your relationship to the people named and the purpose of the request. Court records follow the court’s access rules.
Fee
Certificate: $10 per copy by mail; $12 per copy online, with optional overnight shipping for $14.50. Court copies: 25¢ a page (minimum $1), $5 for a certified copy, and a $7.50 fee for older cases no longer stored at the courthouse.
How to order
Online: the Vermont Vital Records Request Service on Vermont.gov. By mail, 2024 to present: the Department of Health application to Vital Records Office, 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-8370, payable to “Vermont Department of Health.” By mail, 1909–2023:form VSARA-09 to VSARA, 1078 US Route 2, Middlesex, Montpelier, VT 05633-7701, payable to “Vermont Secretary of State.” Decree: send the court’s Request for Access to Court Record form to the court where the case was filed, by email, mail or in person.
ID needed
The state’s divorce applications do not list an ID requirement. Contact the court for decree requests.
Processing time
Online: most orders ship within 5–7 business days. Mail and court requests: not published. Estimate: about 1.5–2.5 weeks to have an online order in hand.
Older records
The State Archives issues divorce records from 1909 through 2023. For a copy of the decree from any year, contact the court where the case was filed.
Tip: If you just need proof that you’re divorced, the Vermont Judiciary suggests ordering the Certificate of Divorce instead of copies of the court decree.
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 Vermont records people search for
Official Vermont sites for other common lookups. Some records are kept by counties or carry fees; the note on each line says so.
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 Vermont public records
Certificate Information
Vital records for Vermont are managed by either the Department of Health for the newest records or the State Archives
and Records Administration for anything older than five years. The state required the reporting of all births, marriages
and deaths in 1857, but did not require information on divorces, civil unions, fetal deaths or abortions untill the year 2000.
There is no search fee or verification fee, only a $10 dollar charge for each certificate.
Vermont Department of Health
Vital Records
P.O. Box 70
Burlington, VT 05402-0070
For all records older than 5 years use this contact information or contact a local Town Clerk.
Vermont State Archives & Records Administration
Office of the Secretary of State
1078 Route 2, Middlesex
Montpelier, Vt. 05633
Phone: 802-828-3700
Fax: 802-828-3710
Since 1996 Vermont has maintained a Voluntary Adoption Registry. Information available are typical non-identifying information,
identifying information of birth family, and a copy of the original birth certificate. Any birth family member, adoptee, guardian
of adoptee or descendants of a deceased adoptee can request non-identifying information. Any birth family or adult aged (18)
adoptee can request identifying information. All copies of the original birth certificate require either a letter from the Registry
or a court order from the probate court.
Vermont Adoption Registry
103 South Main Street
Waterbury, VT 05671-2401
Phone: (802) 241-2122
E-mail: Christina.Shuma@ahs.state.vt.us
Parcel information for Vermont is handled by local town governments. Most towns will maintain a gis layer or provide parcel information for
download, but not all towns have information so easily available. Some town parcel information has been combined at the Vermont Center
for Geographic Information.
