Vital Statistics

The City Secretary’s Vital Statistics Office receives, records and issues birth and death certificates, amendments to birth and death certificates, name changes, court ordered adoptions and burial transit permits. This office also serves as a remote birth certificate printing location for the State Bureau of Vital Statistics. Certified birth certificates for any individual born in the State of Texas can be issued immediately upon request.

• Phone: 979.209.5007
• Office Hours:  Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Our office is open for in-person requests.  We also offer the option for requests to be placed online and picked up at the office or mailed.

• Online Application
• Mail-In Application | (en Español) packet.
• Requesting a Birth/Death Certificate
• Birth Certificates FAQ
• Death Certificates FAQ
• Bryan City Cemeteries Interactive Map

Requesting a Birth/Death Certificate

What do I need to request a birth or death record?

• A complete application
• Acceptable Identification
• Payment:
  • Cash
  • Checks (made payable to the City of Bryan, no out of state checks)
  • Credit cards (except American Express)

If you are a not a person listed on the record you will be required to provide proof of your relationship to the person whose record you are requesting.  Please see here for more details about qualified applicants.

Requests may be made online or via mail. You may order online here.

Who is a qualified applicant? Who may request a birth or death certificate?

• You may request your own birth certificate.
• Immediate family members (by either blood, marriage or adoption):
  • Mother and Father – The parent must be listed on the birth certificate.
  • Brother, Sister, Grandparent, or Child – Must provide a birth certificate to show relationship.  For example: if a grandmother is requesting her grandson’s certificate she would need to bring her child’s birth certificate as proof of her relationship to the grandson.
• If the relationship is established through marriage a spouse must provide a marriage license.
• All other applicants must provide legal documentation (such as a court order establishing guardianship, an insurance policy listing the applicant as the beneficiary, etc.) that documents a direct, tangible interest in the birth or death certificate.
• For questions about providing proof of relationship please call 979.209.5007.
• Legal Guardians may also request certificates when they provide proof of guardianship, such as a certified court order.
• The informant or funeral home who filed the certificate may request death certificates.

What if I am not a qualified applicant?

We will be unable to provide you with a certificate.  We suggest contacting Texas Vital Statistics at 888.963.7111 for additional options.

What if I am the father but my name is not on the birth certificate?

We cannot release the birth certificate to you if you are not listed on the record without proof of paternity or legal guardianship through a certified court order. Another qualified applicant may request the birth certificate. If you have questions regarding paternity please click here.

What is an acceptable form of I.D.?

Please click here for a detailed list of acceptable forms of identification.

We cannot accept the following:

• Matricula Consular (except for the Tarjeta de Elector o de Votar or Certficado Consular from El Salvador or Honduras- please contact our office for more information)
• Passport without a Visa, (unless the country is part of the Visa Waiver program)
• Damaged identification or identification which has been altered from its original state
• Laminated Social Security card
• Copies of identification or temporary identification

What if I do not have any acceptable forms of i.d.?

We suggest you have an immediate family member or other qualified applicant request the certificate.

If the qualified applicant does not live in the area, the request may be made via mail or online and the record may be mailed to you.

How do I request a record via mail?

Please download and complete our Mail-In Application | (en Español) packet. (For the protection of vital information we do not accept requests electronically via fax or email).

Mail-in requests may also be made to Texas Vital Statistics.

May I call to check if a record is available?

We cannot release information regarding specific records over the phone, you will need to submit an application.  By State law birth certificates are filed within five days of birth and death certificates within ten days of death.

How do I contact Texas Vital Statistics?

 

• Phone Number: 1(888)963-7111
• More contact information:  Texas Department of State Health Services
• To order a record online: www.texas.gov

Birth Certificates FAQ

How much is a birth certificate?

Each certified copy of a birth certificate is $23.

Is there a limit of the number of birth certificates that I can obtain?

For one individual we issue a maximum of 3 birth certificates per day.

Our office will issue 10 birth certificates over a lifetime for an individual.   After 10 certificates have been issued it is considered an abused record and we will not issue additional certificates without permission from Texas Vital Statistics.

What forms of birth certificates do you offer?

We offer original, long-form birth certificates for individuals born in Bryan after 1969 (due to a fire in 1969 we do not have original records prior to that year).

If you need the original, long-form birth certificate for someone born in Bryan before 1969 you may request this certificate from the Brazos County Clerk’s Office.

We offer abstract (formerly known as short-form) birth certificates for individuals born in Texas after 1939. All birth certificates issued by our office are certified.

 

What is the difference between an abstract (short-form) birth certificate and an original, long-form birth certificate?

The abstract (short-form) birth certificate only contains the individual’s name, date of birth, county of birth, parent names, file date, issue date and state file number. The original long-form birth certificate will contain detailed information regarding the birth place including hospital name, city of birth and additional parent information.  It is advisable when applying for a passport that you obtain the long-form version of your certificate.

Will the abstract (short-form) birth certificate be acceptable for a passport?

We cannot guarantee an abstract (short-form) birth certificate will be acceptable for a passport.   We advise all customers to obtain their long-form certificate when applying for a passport.

Where can I obtain my original, long-form birth certificate if I was not born in Bryan?

If you were born in College Station you may request your original, long-form certificate from the City of College Station City Secretary’s Office or the Brazos County Clerk’s Office.

If you were born in Brazos County but not within the city limits of Bryan or College Station you may request from the Brazos County Clerk’s Office.

If you were born in Texas you may request your original, long-form certificate directly from Texas Vital Statistics or from the City or County registrar of your place of birth.

If you were born outside of Texas, please contact the State Registrar in the state you were born.

Can I get an out-of-state birth certificate from your office?

No.  We cannot provide out-of-state birth certificates. Please contact the State Registrar in the state where you were born to request your certificate.

How do I change or correct the information on a birth or death certificate?

• For more information about correcting or changing a name on a birth or death certificate, please click here.
• If you need to correct a birth record based on paternity or parentage please click here for more information.

Our office is certified to complete Acknowledgements of Paternity. If you need this service please call our office at 979.209.5007 to set an appointment. For more in-depth paternity related cases or adoption cases you may need to consult an attorney and/or Texas State Vital Statistics.

Death Certificates FAQ

How much is a death certificate?

$21 for the first copy and $4 each for additional copy at any single purchase.

Is there a limit on the number of death certificates that I can obtain?

No. There is not a limit on the number of death certificates you can obtain.  All death certificates issued by our office will be certified.

Can I get a death certificate for a death that occurred outside of the Bryan city limits?

No. We can only provide a death certificate for individuals who passed away within Bryan city limits.

If the death occurred in Brazos County you will need to request the record from the Brazos County Clerk’s Office.

If the death occurred within College Station city limits you may contact the City of College Station City Secretary’s Office.

If the death occurred outside Brazos County you can contact Texas Vital Statistics, or the County or City where the death occurred.

If the death occurred out of state please contact the State Registrar where the death occurred.

What if you cannot locate the death certificate I request?

If we cannot locate the death certificate, the first step is to contact the funeral home that handled the services – it may not be filed yet.  If the funeral home indicates the record has been filed, contact Texas Vital Statistics to request the record.

If the death certificate is not filed who do I contact?

If it has been less than a year since the date of death, contact with the funeral home that handled the services. If it has been over a year, contact Texas Vital Statistics at 888.963.7111 to speak with a specialist in death certificates.