Getting a Birth Certificate After a Home Birth in New York

Written by Igel Cudiera

The process is different in New York City than in the rest of the state, including Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island. This guide explains who files the birth certificate, what parents provide, where to get copies, and what to do about a Social Security number, unmarried parents, or a mistake on the record. It is based on New York law and official state and city guidance, and it is not legal advice.

Where Your Baby Is Born Decides Which Office Handles It

New York has two separate birth registration systems:

• New York City (the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island): births are registered with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene under the NYC Health Code. The NYC Health Department states that it does not issue certificates for Nassau, Suffolk, or other counties in New York State.
• The rest of New York State, including Nassau and Suffolk: births are registered under the New York State Public Health Law with the local registrar of the town, city, or incorporated village where the birth happened. The New York State Department of Health holds birth records for all of New York State except New York City, and it states that it cannot issue copies of, or make changes to, New York City certificates.

What matters is where the birth takes place, so it is worth confirming which office covers your address before your due date.

Who Files the Birth Certificate After a Home Birth

When a midwife or physician attends the birth

Outside New York City, the Public Health Law requires every birth to be registered within five days by filing a certificate with the registrar of the district where the birth occurred. When a physician or nurse-midwife attends the birth, the law makes filing the certificate their duty.

In New York City, the Health Code says that when a birth happens somewhere other than a hospital, the physician, licensed midwife, or registered physician assistant in attendance reports it. They prepare and certify the certificate and a confidential medical report, and reports must be filed within 5 business days after the birth.

At Holistic Midwifery New York, our practice can handle the birth certificate filing as part of postpartum care. Ask your midwife what information they will need from you and when.

If no midwife or physician was present

If a baby is born at home without a physician or nurse-midwife in attendance, New York State law makes it the duty of the father or mother, then the householder or owner of the premises, in the order named, to report the birth to the local registrar and file the certificate within five days. In New York City, the Health Code says either parent reports the birth and files a certificate of birth only, within 5 business days.

Official sources do not publish a single list of documents parents must bring in this situation. If your baby was born without a midwife or physician present, contact the local registrar where the birth happened, or the NYC Health Department for a birth in the five boroughs, as soon as possible to ask exactly what they need.

What Parents Provide

The birth certificate includes details only parents can give, such as the baby's name and information about the parents.

• In New York City, the Health Department uses a Mother/Parent Worksheet. It says you can complete the worksheet ahead of time and give it to your midwife. The worksheet must be filled out in English, and it is available to view in other languages.
• Outside New York City, the Public Health Law requires the person reporting a birth to answer the registrar's questions correctly and to the best of their knowledge. Ask your midwife which form or worksheet they use.

Gathering this information before your due date can make the days after the birth easier. Our home birth checklist can help you prepare other things in advance too.

If Your Baby Is Born in New York City

For a birth in the five boroughs, the certificate is filed with the NYC Health Department. To order certified copies:

• The NYC Health Department says you can order online, by mail, or in person, but not by email. It describes ordering online through VitalChek as the fastest option, and VitalChek is the only vendor the Health Department authorizes.
• Each certificate costs $15, and processing fees vary by how you order. For online orders, the city lists a $9.30 processing fee plus $15 per certificate, with processing in two to three weeks and regular mail delivery taking up to two weeks more (as listed in October 2026).
• There is no fee to add a child's given name to a birth certificate if a parent submits it to the Health Department within 60 days of birth.

For questions about certificates for newborns born within the past 30 days, the NYC Health Department lists 646-632-6563 and birth@health.nyc.gov.

If Your Baby Is Born on Long Island or Elsewhere in New York

Outside New York City, the Public Health Law makes each city, incorporated village, and town a separate registration district. That means the right office is the registrar for the specific town, city, or village where your baby is born, which is not always obvious from your county or mailing address.

Two Long Island examples show why this matters:

• The Town of Oyster Bay registrar records births and deaths in the town except those in the Incorporated Villages of Farmingdale and Sea Cliff, which keep their own records. It states that home births within the Town of Oyster Bay are also recorded in Town Clerk records.
• In the Town of Huntington, the Town Clerk serves as the Registrar of Vital Statistics.

Certified copies of a birth record outside New York City are available from the local registrar where the birth occurred or from the New York State Department of Health. The state lists these fees per copy: $30 by mail, and $45 for online or phone orders plus a vendor processing fee (as listed in October 2026). The state also notes that it is currently experiencing significant delays in processing orders. Contact your local registrar for its fees and processing times.

The state says a birth certificate copy can be issued to the person named on it, to a parent whose name is on the certificate, and to others only by order of a New York State court.

Getting a Social Security Number for Your Baby

The Social Security Administration (SSA) runs a program called Enumeration at Birth, which its staff manual describes as assigning Social Security numbers to newborns as part of the hospital birth registration process.

In New York City, the Mother/Parent Worksheet asks whether you want a Social Security number and card for your child. If you request it there, the Health Department sends the request to SSA when the certificate is filed. If you do not request it then, the worksheet says you will need to contact Social Security directly.

Outside New York City, ask your midwife whether a Social Security number can be requested when the birth is registered. If not, you will need to apply to Social Security directly. SSA's staff manual notes that when a number is not requested through Enumeration at Birth, SSA must independently verify the birth record you provide.

If the Parents Are Not Married

Under the Public Health Law, when the parents of a child are not married, the father's name is entered on the birth certificate only if both parents sign an Acknowledgment of Parentage that is filed with the birth record, or if a court has issued an order of parentage. New York State's child support program explains how this works when parents do not complete the form at a hospital or birthing center:

• Parents may complete the Acknowledgment of Parentage form (LDSS-5171) and file it themselves with the registrar of the district (city, town, or village) where the birth certificate is filed.
• Each parent must sign the form in front of two witnesses, and the witnesses cannot be related to either parent.
• Once the birth certificate has been filed, the local registrar cannot add the other parent's name. Only the New York State Department of Health, or the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for New York City births, can amend it, and one free amended certificate is issued to the other parent.

If this applies to you, plan ahead with your midwife so the form can be completed at the right time.

Fixing a Mistake on the Birth Certificate

Check the certificate carefully when you receive it.

• Outside New York City, the New York State Department of Health says the best place to start a correction or amendment is the local registrar where the birth occurred.
• In New York City, corrections go through the NYC Health Department. Corrections cannot be ordered online. The city lists a nonrefundable $40 application processing fee for most applications plus $15 per certificate, with processing of approximately 12 weeks (as listed in October 2026).

If a Birth Was Not Registered Within a Year

A birth that is not registered on time can still be registered later, but the process is more involved. New York State regulations define a delayed registration of birth as the registration of a birth one year or more after it happened. In New York City, a birth not recorded within one year may be recorded with the approval of the Health Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee, on an application made on a Department form, for example by the parents. If this applies to your family, contact the local registrar or the NYC Health Department directly.

Questions to Ask Your Midwife Before the Birth

• Will you file the birth certificate, and what information do you need from us?
• Which office will the birth be registered with, based on our address?
• Is there a worksheet we can fill out before the birth?
• Can we request a Social Security number when the birth is registered?
• We are not married. When and how should we complete the Acknowledgment of Parentage?
• How will we know the birth has been registered, and how do we order copies?

For more about planning a home birth, see what a planned home birth involves and our comparison of home birth and hospital birth. You can also check where our midwives serve.

This article is general information about birth registration in New York and is not legal advice. Requirements, forms, fees, and processing times can change, and they differ between New York City and the rest of the state. Confirm current details with the local registrar where your baby is born, the New York State Department of Health, or the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Sources

• New York State Senate. Public Health Law §4130, Births; registration.
• New York State Senate. Public Health Law §4133, Birth certificate; incomplete; duty of registrar.
• New York State Senate. Public Health Law §4120, Vital statistics; registration districts; establishment.
• New York State Senate. Public Health Law §4135, Birth certificate; child born out of wedlock.
• New York State Department of Health. Birth Certificates.
• New York State Department of Health. Corrections and Amendments.
• New York State Department of Health. Birth Record Corrections/Amendments.
• New York State Department of Health. 10 NYCRR §36.1, Definitions.
• NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Birth Certificates.
• NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Birth and Death Records Fees and Processing Times.
• NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Mother/Parent Worksheet.
• NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. NYC Health Code Article 201, Births.
• New York State Child Support Services (Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance). Instructions for Voluntary Acknowledgement of Parentage.
• New York State Child Support Services (Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance). Local Birth Registrars.
• Town of Oyster Bay. Registrar.
• Town of Huntington. Town Clerk.
• Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10205.005, Where to File an Application for a Social Security Card.
• Social Security Administration. POMS RM 10210.270, Evaluation and Verification of Evidence of Age for an SSN Card.