Birth Records
Certified copies of births are $13.00 for the first copy, and $5.00 for any additional copies of the same record. Copies can be obtained over the counter or by mail request.
For copies of birth certificates over the counter, it will be necessary for you to complete a request form, and some form of identification will be required. If you wish to receive a birth record by mail, send a letter of request to Saginaw County Clerk stating the birth name, date of birth, parent's names with mother's maiden name and a copy of proper ID such as a state issued driver's license that includes a photograph or a state issued picture ID along with a money order for $13.00 payable to Saginaw County Clerk and a return address. All return mail requests will also require an additional $1.00 to cover mailing costs.
The birth records in the Saginaw County Clerk's Office have been maintained and recorded from 1867 to the present. However, if you were born outside of Saginaw County, then your records exist elsewhere. You should contact the Clerk's Office of the County or State you were born in for more information on obtaining a copy.
According to MCL 333.2882(1)(a), only the following parties are eligible for a certified copy of a birth record that is not at least 110 years old:
- The person named on the record
- A parent named on the record
- A legal guardian of the person named on the record. With your request, you must include a copy of the court appointed legal guardianship papers. Custody papers are not acceptable unless they specifically name you as the custodial parent.
- A legal representative of an eligible party. Lawyers must include with the request a letter on their letterhead stating who they represent.
- An heir if the person on the record is deceased. A copy of birth record can be released to an heir of a deceased person, however, you must state your relationship to the person, provide the decedent's married name at the time of death, and date and place of death.
- A court of competent jurisdiction that supplies a court order (a Michigan court or federal court or other jurisdiction whose laws are not in conflict with Michigan laws).
- Michigan law allows federal, state and local public and private agencies access to an administrative use copy of a Michigan vital record if any agency's functions require independent access to vital records facts.
Upon a written request from a military branch, a veteran is entitled to one certified copy of a vital record at no charge for the purpose of securing a bonus, pension or compensation. If the person entitled to the record is deceased or mentally incompetent, the copy may be furnished to an heir, guardian, or legal representative of the person.
Birth certificates must be obtained from the Michigan Department of Community Health:
- for births that occurred outside of Saginaw County.
- for adoptions.
- if you were born prior to 1978 and parents were not married.
The following must also be obtained from the Michigan Department of Community Health:
- application to correct a certificate of birth.
- application to name a father on a certificate of birth.
- affidavit of parentage.
