Vital records office in Puerto Rico — birth, marriage, death certificates

Vital records office in Puerto Rico

How to obtain certified copies of birth, death, marriage, and divorce certificates from Puerto Rico for immigration filings, USCIS evidence, school enrollment, or any other purpose.

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En Español Birth Event: Birth To minimize the unlawful use of a privileged document that can be used for criminal behavior such as identity theft and fraud, each registered person has a limit of three (3) copies of their birth certification within a 12-month period, which is counted from the first time requested. Cost of first copy within the 12-month period: $5.00 Cost of second and third copy within the 12-month period: $10.00 each Puerto Rican veterans: Exempt from the fee when the requested certification is for official use. The veteran must provide a copy of their DD214 form or other supporting evidence proving they are a veteran and a document confirming the official use of the requested certification. Applicants older than age 60 living in Puerto Rico: First copy within the 12-month period is free. The second and third copy within the same 12-month period will have a cost of $10.00 each. This benefit is applicable for residents of Puerto Rico only. Address: Department of Health Demographic Registry P.O. Box 11854 Fernandez Juncos Station San Juan, PR 00910 If using an express service (FedEx, UPS, DHL, USPS Express or Priority Mail), applications must be sent to the following physical address: Department of Health Demographic Registry Metro Center Building 5 Mayaguez Street, 9th Floor Hato Rey, PR 00918 Remarks: The Central Office of the Demographic Registry has records relating to all citizens born as of April 22, 1931. Acceptable payment methods: Money order payable to the Secretary of Treasury. Neither cash, personal nor bank checks are accepted. To verify the current fees, the telephone number is 787–765–2929 ext. 6100. All applications must be completed entirely, include signature of the requestor, include a legible front and back photocopy of a valid unexpired form of identification (driver’s license from any state or U.S. territory, passport, or state ID issued by the DMV of a state or U.S. territory), and include a pre-addressed stamped envelope. If using your married last name in your ID, provide a copy of your marriage certificate to confirm the maiden name. According to the definition of “interested party” as stated by Act No. 24 of April 22, 1931, as amended, known as the Puerto Rico Registry Act:

Registered person (must be 18 years or older) Parent(s) as listed on the birth record Children of the registered person age 18 years or older (child must submit a copy of their birth certificate if not born in Puerto Rico) Legal representative (attorney) Legal guardian (must provide a certified copy [with seal] of the legal court order, submitted documents may be subject to a validation procedure by a court in Puerto Rico) Heir (must provide a certified copy of the Will, which may be subject to a validation procedure in Puerto Rico)

Death Event: Death Cost of copy: $10.00 Puerto Rican veteran surviving spouse: Exempt from the

Puerto Rico vital records office details

• CDC W2W (Where to Write) page: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w/puerto_rico.htm

Why immigrants need certified vital records

USCIS, courts, schools, and many other US agencies require certified vital records (not photocopies) for:

• I-130 family petition — birth certificate proves family relationship
• I-485 adjustment of status — birth certificate of applicant and beneficiaries
• N-400 naturalization — marriage certificate if applying under spouse-of-USC 3-year rule
• Apostille — for use of US documents in foreign countries (your home country may require US apostille)
• School enrollment — proof of date of birth
• Real ID applications — proof of identity

Apostille and authentication

If you need to use a Puerto Rico vital record OUTSIDE the United States (e.g., for use at your home country’s consulate), you typically need an apostille from the Puerto Rico Secretary of State’s office. See /procedures/apostille-document/ for the process.

Related procedural information

• Consulate of your country in the US — your home country’s transcription/legalization of US records
• Translate documents for USCIS — certified-translation standard
• Apostille (document legalization) — for use abroad
• USCIS Form I-130 — family petition — uses vital records as evidence
• USCIS Form N-400 — naturalization — vital records for marriage-based 3-year rule

Last verified: 2026-05-27. General procedural information — not legal advice. Fees and processing times change; verify with the Puerto Rico office.