Delaware Vital Records

What are Delaware Vital Records?

Vital records in Delaware are records of all births, deaths, adoptions, and marriages (including same-gender marriage) that occur in the State of Delaware. They are maintained by the Delaware Division of Public Health, Office of Vital Statistics. Divorce records in Delaware are not vital records and are not maintained by the Delaware Office of Vital Statistics.

How Can I Get a Birth Certificate in Delaware?

Anyone can search for and obtain, when available, a Delaware birth record that is more than 72 years old. However, Delaware birth certificates that are less than 72 years old are considered confidential records, and only the following persons may obtain a copy:

• The person named as the registrant on the birth certificate.
• The mother, father, or legal guardian of the person named on the birth certificate.
• The child of the person named on the birth certificate.
• The husband or wife of the person named on the birth certificate.
• A legal representative of one of the authorized persons.

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services, Office of Vital Statistics, charges a fee of $25 for the search of a Delaware birth certificate. This fee includes one certified copy of the birth certificate. However, if the department does not locate the birth record searched for, the fee is non-refundable. The vital statistics office charges the $25 fee for all additional copies of Delaware birth records, whether ordered at the time of the original search or at a later date.

The Delaware vital records office provides an application for a certified copy of a Delaware birth certificate, which requires you to provide the following information:

• Full name of the person at birth.
• County or city of birth.
• Hospital of birth.
• Date of birth.
• Sex of person.
• Full name of both parents at the time of birth.
• Your name.
• Your relationship to the person whose certificate is requested.
• The address you want the certificate mailed to.
• Your signature.

You may obtain a Delaware birth record from 1948 to the present only from the Office of Vital Records. They are available online, by mail, or in person.

For online applications, you may visit the Office of Vital Records online Birth Record order page.

You may obtain a Delaware birth record from state offices by mail or in-person at the following addresses:

Jesse S. Cooper Building
417 Federal Street
Dover, DE 19901

Chopin Building
258 Chapman Road
Newark, DE 19702

Thurman Adams State Service Center
546 South Bedford Street
Georgetown, DE 19947

The above locations are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., except for holidays. You will need to provide a photo ID for proof of your eligibility.

For birth records prior to 1948, you should visit or call:

The Delaware Public Archives
Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room
121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 744-5000

How Can I Get a Death Certificate in Delaware?

Death records in Delaware are confidential records and have restricted access for a period of 40 years. No social security numbers are included on a copy of a death record for at least 5 years after the date of death. Until at least 40 years have passed from the date of death, only the following persons may obtain a death certificate in Delaware:

• The mother or father of the deceased person.
• The current husband or wife of the deceased person.
• The child of the deceased person.
• The legal guardian of the deceased person.
• An authorized representative of an eligible person.

The Delaware Office of Vital Statistics charges a fee of $25 to conduct a search for a death certificate. However, if the department does not locate the death record searched for, the fee is non-refundable. This fee includes one certified copy of the death certificate, and each additional copy of the death certificate will incur an additional fee of $25, whether the additional copies are ordered at the same time or at a later date.

The Delaware vital records office provides an application for certified copy of a Delaware death certificate, which requires you to provide the following information:

• The full legal name of the deceased.
• The county or city of death.
• The date of death.
• The gender of the deceased.
• Your name.
• Your signature.
• Your relationship to the deceased.
• The address where the certificate should be mailed.

For online applications, you may visit the Office of Vital Statistics online order page.

You may obtain a Delaware death record by mail or in-person at the following addresses:

Jesse S. Cooper Building
417 Federal Street
Dover, DE 19901

Chopin Building
258 Chapman Road
Newark, DE 19702

Thurman Adams State Service Center
546 South Bedford Street
Georgetown, DE 19947

The above locations are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., except for holidays.

For death records that are more than 40 years old, you should visit or call:

The Delaware Public Archives
Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room
121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 744-5000

How Can I Get a Marriage Certificate in Delaware?

Delaware marriage records are not public records for the first 50 years. Before this time, marriage certificates in Delaware are only accessible to the parties and family members or representatives, including:

• The married parties.
• The parents and legal guardians of the married parties.
• The children of the married parties.
• Legal representatives of the married parties.

The individual county clerks of court in Delaware maintain marriage records books as well as marriage licenses books. The information in these books is accessible to the public.

A Delaware marriage records book provides the following information:

• The dates of marriage ceremonies.
• The names of the officiants who performed the ceremonies.

A Delaware marriage licenses book is a record of all licenses issued and provides the following information:

• The full names of the parties issued marriage licenses.
• The addresses of the licensed applicants.
• The ages of approved applicants.
• The dates when the licenses were issued.

The Delaware Office of Vital Statistics charges a fee of $25 to conduct a search for a marriage certificate. However, if the department does not locate the birth record searched for, the fee is non-refundable. This fee includes one certified copy of the marriage certificate, and each additional copy of the marriage certificate will incur an additional fee of $25, whether the additional copies are ordered at the same time or at a later date.

The Delaware Office of Vital Statistics provides an application for certified copy of a Delaware marriage certificate, which requires you to provide the following information:

• Full names before the first marriage of both spouses,
• Dates of birth of both spouses.
• County where the marriage license was issued.
• Date of marriage.
• Your name.
• Your signature.
• Address where the certificate is to be mailed.
• Your email address.
• Your telephone numbers.

You may obtain a copy of a Delaware marriage certificate that is less than 50 years old, by mail or in-person at the following addresses:

Sussex County
Adams State Service Center
546 South Bedford Street
Georgetown, DE 19947
(302) 856-5495

Kent County
Jesse S. Cooper Building
417 Federal Street
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 744-4549

Newcastle County
University Office Plaza – Chopin Building
258 Chapman Road
Newark DE 19702
(302) 283-7100

For Delaware marriage certificates that are more than 50 years old, you may visit the Delaware Public Archives at:

Delaware Public Archives
121 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. North
Dover, DE 19901
(302) 744-5000

How Can I Get a Divorce Certificate in Delaware?

When a divorce is granted by a Family Court in Delaware, the divorce records are maintained by each Delaware county clerk of court. They are court records, not vital records.

Generally, there are three types of divorce records in Delaware: divorce decrees, divorce certificates, and divorce case records.

A Delaware divorce certificate is a document issued to divorced parties as evidence of their divorce. It contains the least amount of information of the three types of divorce records and provides only the following:

• The full name of the divorced parties.
• The date of divorce.
• The place of divorce.

A Delaware divorce decree is the document that memorializes and certifies the dissolution of a marriage in a Delaware Family Court. It contains more information than the divorce decree, including the following:

• The full names of the divorced parties.
• The date of divorce.
• The place of divorce.
• The property division, if applicable.
• Child support information, if applicable.
• Child custody and visitation provisions, if applicable.
• Spousal support, if applicable.

A Delaware divorce record is the entire file of the divorce court proceedings of the Family Court. It contains all of the information contained in the divorce certificate and divorce decree, as well as all motions, orders, summons, transcripts, financial statements, evidence introduced, reports, assessments, possibly information regarding family members, and more. The divorce record is necessary if either party chooses to appeal a ruling in the divorce proceeding.

To obtain a copy of a divorce record in Delaware, you should submit your request to the Family Court of the county where the divorce occurred. They accept in-person and mail-in requests.

If you choose walk-in service, you may visit the county Family Courts as follows:

New Castle County:
The Family Court
500 N. King Street
Suite 110
Wilmington, DE 19801

Kent County:
The Family Court
400 Court Street
Dover, DE 19901

Sussex County:
The Family Court
22 The Circle
Georgetown, DE 19947

When you request a Delaware divorce record, you should provide the divorced parties' names, dates of birth, and the date of divorce. The Delaware Family Courts charge $4 for a certified copy of a divorce decree. This fee is payable by personal check, money order, cash, or credit card (including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover) for in-person requests. For mail-in orders, only checks and money orders are accepted.

Helpful State Resources

• Delaware Driving Records
• Delaware Plate Lookup
• Delaware Arrest Records
• Delaware Inmate Search
• Delaware Court Records
• Delaware Property Records