Birth Certificate Requests

Obtaining a Birth Record Locally

Under Michigan law, birth records are confidential documents. A current valid, photo identification is required in order to establish eligibility to request and/or receive a birth record, except for a birth record that is at least 100 years old.

A copy of the applicant's photo identification must be presented along with the application. Please see the Birth Certificate Request Form (PDF) for all identification requirements and visit the Governmental Center to have your request processed.

Obtaining a Birth Record Remotely 

Under Michigan law, birth records are confidential documents. A current valid, photo identification is required in order to establish eligibility to request and/or receive a birth record, except for a birth record that is at least 100 years old.

A copy can be requested, verified and paid for online and mailed to you directly via US Mail or Overnighted from FedEx. Please visit our online request portal and follow the instructions there. 

Who May Request

Only the mother, father, legal guardian, or the individual named on the certificate may order/receive a copy of the birth certificate.

Legal Guardian must show guardianship court order as according to MCL 333.2882. Heirs may request a certified copy and they must provide date and place of death and how they are related. If the individual passed away in a county other than Grand Traverse County, we will need to see a copy of the death certificate.


Availability of Records

Birth records have been filed with this office since 1856. Birth records are confidential and not public record, however, certified copies of birth certificates are available to eligible persons upon request. Please allow 3-4 weeks from the date of birth before making a request to allow for transfer of records to this office.

Individuals Born Outside of the County

If you were not born in Grand Traverse County, visit the Vital Chek website to obtain birth records.

State of Michigan Birth Record Services

The following can be obtained from the State of Michigan website:

For More Information

If you have any questions, please contact our office at 231-922-4760 for more information on how to write and request a copy of your birth certificate.

If you have problems opening the fillable request form in your browser, use the right mouse button and click on the link and select the "Save link as.." option to download the file to your computer. Then open the file from the folder where you saved it.