Alberta Vital Statistics maintains a record (registration) of all births that occur in Alberta and can only issue certificates/documents for events that occurred in Alberta. Birth certificates are issued using the information from the original Registration of Birth, completed at the time of birth. If a record cannot be found, a search for a three-year period is carried out automatically and the applicant will be notified.
All birth records are kept confidential, and therefore only certain people can order a birth certificate. To order a certificate, you must be one of the below:
- The person listed on the birth certificate
- The parent of the person who is listed on the certificate
- A guardian, trustee or person with power of attorney for the person listed on the certificate. Proof is required
- Any person with written authorization from the person who is listed on the certificate
- Any person with an order from the court. Proof is required
- A person adopting a child may apply for that childs biological birth certificate. Proof of adoption is required
- The legal representative for the person listed on the certificate, proof is required
- Any adult next of kin of a person who is listed on the birth certificate when that person is deceased
If you are one of the above, you may come in and order the birth certificate. You will require your drivers licence or passport to order the certificate along with any supplementary documentation as listed above. When you come in, you will fill out an application form and submit it to the registry agents. Once you have submitted the application, you will be asked how soon you need the certificate. You can order the certificate and have it sent to you by mail within 7-10 days, couriered to us within 2-3 business days depending on the time of day you ordered the certificate, or you can go down the Alberta government offices and pick it up yourself 2 business days later.
There are three types of certificates that you can order:
Certified Personal Birth Certificate
This certificate contains the persons full name, sex, place of birth, registration number, date of birth, registration date and date issued. **Please note, this size certificate may not be sufficient for travel purposes
Certified Personal Birth Certificate with Parentage
This certificate contains the persons full name, sex, place of birth, registration number, date of birth, registration date, date issued, moms full name, moms place of birth, dads full name and place of birth.
Certified Photographic Print
This certificate is what was filled out in the hospital by the parents and the doctor. It will contain the same information as the large size certificate, and more.
Once you have submitted the application, you will be asked how soon you need the certificate. You can order the certificate and have it sent to you by mail within 7-10 days, couriered to us within 3 business days, or depending on the time of day you have ordered the certificate, you can go down the Alberta government offices and pick it up the next business day.
