PROGRAM OPERATIONS MANUAL SYSTEMPart GN – GeneralChapter 003 – EvidenceSubchapter 08 – Sources and Fees for State and Local Vital Statistics RecordsTransmittal No. 94, 03/24/2026
Audience
Originating Component
ISP
Effective Date
Upon Receipt
Background
This full transmittal changes policy and procedure for vital statistics records requests that require identification of the SSA employee. Employees may not photocopy their HSPD-12 SSA ID card; instead, they must include a letter with their identifying and contact information as part of the evidence request.
Summary of Changes
GN 00308.001 Listing of Sources and Fees for Birth, Death, Divorce and Marriage Records
•Subsection A: Made minor grammatical updates and removed a subsection on how to request changes to GN 00308 sections since that instruction was not unique. It is the same process to update GN 00308 sections as it is to update any other section in POMS.
•Subsection B.1: Reorganized and clarified this subsection on how to request records from the custodian. Provided clarification and references on assisting the claimant if they need our help with the records request. Moved a NOTE about not accepting credit card information from B.1 to B.2.
•Subsection B.2: Provided minor clarifying updates on what to provide to the custodian of the record when assisting the claimant on a records request.
•Subsection B.3: Revised the procedure for records requests that require identification of the SSA employee to include a letter with identifying information rather than a photocopy of the HSPD-12 SSA ID card.
Citations:
Social Security Act § 205(a) ; 20 C.F.R. §§ 404.704, 404.707, 404.716, 404.720, 404.725, 404.728, 404.731, 404.733.
Sections GN 00308.006 through GN 00308.235 contain the addresses of specific State, territorial, and local Bureaus of Vital Statistics (BVS) and registrars.
Every section in this subchapter containing information about a State's Vital Statistics includes a Universal Routing Locator (URL) to the State-maintained BVS site. Use these links for the most up-to-date information on requesting BVS information.
NOTE: Sections containing information to U.S. Territories (GN 00308.200, GN 00308.210-GN 00308.230) might contain URLs to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). This information may not be as current as that in the State-maintained websites.
Whether the Field Office (FO) can certify, verify or obtain a free copy of the county birth or death record is indicated by either a “YES” or “NO,” if known.
To request Birth, Death, Divorce, and Marriage records:
Ask the claimant to write directly, file electronically, or call the custodian for a copy of the record, depending on the custodian's instructions.
Help the claimant request the record, if needed. For information on identifying claimants who may need assistance, see GN 00301.180.
When providing assistance, check the applicable section in this subchapter to determine whether to send the request directly to the custodian of record or ask for help from the FO servicing the area where the custodian of the record is located. For information about requests for District Office (DO) assistance, see GN 00904.080.
When assisting a claimant with a records request, instruct the claimant to provide as much as possible of the following details:
full name of person who was born or who died; or for divorce and marriage records, the full names of the husband and wife (including a maiden name and nicknames);
date of event;
place of event;
sex (for birth and death records);
parents' full names, including mother's maiden name (for birth records).
Annotate that the request is for Social Security purposes. Request the claimant enclose payment for the certificate. For exception to claimant payment, refer to GN 00301.210.
NOTE: SSA does not accept credit card information. The claimant should provide this information directly to the BVS involved.
Some BVSs may require a photocopy of the requester's identification for processing vital record requests. In these instances, do not photocopy your HSPD-12 SSA ID card, as that is a violation of 18 U.S.C. §701.
Instead, prepare and date a written request under SSA letterhead that includes the following statement:
Federal law (18 U.S.C. §701) prohibits photographs or copying of the Government identification card unless authorized by Federal regulation. As a Social Security employee, I can provide the following identifying information:
[Your Name];
[Your Office's Name and Location]; and
[Your Office's Contact Information (e.g., office's administrative phone line, office's mailing address)].
IMPORTANT: Do not include an email address unless the custodian of record is registered on the agency's Secure Email Partner's List.