Five steps, from your phone to a certified copy in the mail.
You answer plain-English questions once. We translate them into the issuing agency’s current form, check the application line by line, submit it, and follow it through to delivery.
Pick a record type on the next screen. About 8 minutes.
Continue →What happens after you submit
Nothing about a vital record application is charged before you have seen the itemized total and confirmed it.
01 You complete the online form
Plain questions about the record, your relationship to it, and where it should be delivered. No printing, no state PDFs, no notary hunting at this stage. Most people finish in about eight minutes on a phone.
02 We review the application
A specialist checks your entries against the issuing agency’s current requirements — spelling against the record, eligibility, acceptable identification, the correct version of the certificate, and the correct custodian. This is the step that prevents most rejections.
03 Identity and authorization
We confirm your identification meets the state’s standard and, where the state requires a sworn or notarized request, we tell you exactly what to sign and how. Nothing is guessed at on your behalf.
04 Submission to the issuing agency
The prepared application and the agency fee go to the state registry or county office that holds the record. From that point the decision and the timeline rest with the agency.
05 Delivery and tracking
You receive an email the moment your certified copy is dispatched, with tracking. If the agency raises a question, we answer it and tell you what happened.
What we check before anything is filed
This is what the fee pays for. Each item below is a documented reason applications are returned by state registries.
Names and spelling against the record
Certificates are indexed exactly as registered. A married surname, an initial, or a hyphen in the wrong place is enough for a search to return nothing.
Eligibility and relationship
States restrict who may receive a certified copy. We establish your category up front, before a fee is paid, rather than after a refusal.
Identification standards
Accepted documents, expiry rules, and whether a notarized or sworn statement is required all vary by jurisdiction.
Custodian, version, and fee
Whether the state or the county holds the record, which version your purpose requires, and the exact current fee for that number of copies.
What to expect, honestly
Processing time is set by the issuing agency, not by us. Some states return a certified copy within days. Others take several weeks, and records held in archives take longer again. We review and submit the same business day your application is received, and we show the current estimate for your state before checkout.
What we can promise is the part we control: same-business-day review and submission, a correctly prepared application, and a reply from a person while it is in progress.
If the agency requests further information, we tell you what was asked and what we sent. If your application cannot be filed as submitted, we say so rather than letting it sit.
What is in your control
- Accurate detailsThe closer your entries are to the record as registered, the faster the search.
- The right versionTell us the purpose and the correct certificate is requested the first time.
- Clear identificationA legible photo of an unexpired ID prevents the most common hold.
- Copies ordered togetherOne application for several copies is faster and usually cheaper than two.
Two charges, both shown before you confirm
Vital record orders always involve two separate charges. Some services surface the second only when it reaches your statement.
State agency fees are set by each state’s Department of Health or its county offices, and vary by record type and by the number of copies. Your total is itemized in full before checkout, and it will never exceed the amount you approve.
Nothing is charged until you confirm the review screen. The state agency fee is charged separately, after the agency accepts the application, and appears on your statement under its own line.
Processing & review fee
Charged at checkout. Covers preparing your application, reviewing it against state requirements, submission, and support until your record arrives.
State agency fee & shipping
Set by the issuing state, not by us. Charged only after the agency reviews and accepts your application, and shown separately on your statement.
review screen before you confirm.No hidden fees
Have these ready
The same four items cover every record type.
About the process
Start your application.
Pick a record type and a state — review the full itemized cost before anything is charged.