Birth Certificates

New Requirements

Effective September 1, 2015, all applications for certified copies of Birth and Death certificates which are mailed into the County Clerk's office must be signed in front of a notary public, per Health and Safety Code, Sec. 191.0031.

General Information

A Birth Record is public information and available to the public on or after the 75th anniversary of the date of birth as shown on the record filed with the Bureau of Vital Statistics or local registration official.
Government Code 552.115 (a) (1).

The following may apply for a Birth Certificate:

  • The registrant or an immediate family member (Parents, children, spouses, siblings, legal guardian or grandparents of the registrant. TAC, Title 25, Rule 181.13 (13)
  • NOTE:    A father or paternal grandparent may not obtain his child’s Birth Certificate if the fathers name is not listed on the record unless a certified copy of a court order that names him as the father can be provided.
  • If you are not an immediate family member, you must provide a certified copy of legal documentation that states the requestor’s direct and tangible interest in the record.
  • Anyone else must have a signed (original) statement authorizing them (naming them) to pick up the birth certificate. This statement must include a copy of your government issued ID. The person named in your request must present their original government issued ID also.

The following information is required:

  • Full name as it appears on birth record
  • Date and county of birth
  • Parents' names, including mother's maiden name
  • Your relationship to person named on certificate
  • Your mailing address
  • Purpose of record
  • In writing you will need to send a notarized application and a copy of your valid government issued ID
  • In person you will need to provide your original valid government issued ID
  • Cost per copy is $23.00, payable to the Ellis County Clerk by Cashiers Check, Money Order, or Credit/Debit Card (Personal checks are not accepted)
  • Please do not send cash through the mail
  • Turnaround time is 7 business days when applying by mail. If you apply for the birth certificate in person, we will print it out for you while you wait.

The above information is required by statute, Texas Administrative Code Sec. 181.28. Birth records are considered confidential information; therefore, all requirements must be met. If you are unable to meet the requirements, please contact the State Bureau of Vital Statistics in Austin. The toll-free phone number is (888) 963-7111. The fax number is (512) 458-7506.

Birth records are not normally available in the County Clerk's Office for approximately one (1) to two (2) weeks following date of birth. For other counties, no sooner than three (3) weeks from date of birth.

Any Texas Birth Certificate may be purchased in Ellis County. The county has a remote access system to the State's records dating from 1926 to present.  If you are needing the Birth Certificate for a passport, please contact your county of birth as you will need to submit a “long form” birth certificate, issued by the county of your birth, to the passport office.

Birth Records Prior to 1903 - Ellis County began keeping official records in 1903, but we do have delayed Birth Certificates prior to 1903. For information on genealogical searches, contact the Genealogy Collection at the State Archives Library at 512-463-5463. Or you may contact the County Clerk's office in the county where the birth took place.