Are Indiana Vital Records Public?
Some Indiana vital records are open to the public. However, certified vital records can only be accessed by authorized persons with a direct, familial, or legal interest in the certificate or document. These include certified death, marriage, adoption, divorce, and adoption records. The provisions for the maintenance and dissemination of Indiana vital records are as outlined in Indiana Code 16-37-1-10 & 11, 11.5C.
What Information Shows Up in Indiana Vital Records?
Indiana vital records are official documents that are created after a vital event occurs within state limits. They include birth records, death records, marriage records, as well as divorce records, and certificates. Pursuant to the provisions of Indiana state statutes, they are maintained and issued by the State Department of Public Health to eligible persons. They have a range of legal functions, including helping to establish/confirm identity and determining an individual’s eligibility for certain benefits.
How to Search for Indiana Vital Records Online
Most government-operated repositories do not offer remote access to vital record information because of the privacy provisions for these records. Notwithstanding, inquirers may request the records online. To search for Indiana vital records online, individuals may be required to provide the following information to the appropriate custodian:
- Proof of identification: this involves completing the biometric section of the form. Requestors must have a valid driver’s license.
- Evidence of relationship to the person(s) named on the certificate.
- Reason for requesting the certificate.
- Accurate information about the persons named on the certificate, such as full name, date of birth, city of birth, and so on.
- The requesters’ delivery information.
Publicly available vital records are managed and disseminated by some third-party aggregate sites. These sites are generally not limited by geographical record availability and may serve as a convenient jump-off point when researching specific or multiple records. However, third-party sites are not government-sponsored. As such, record availability may differ from official channels. To find a record using the search engines on third-party sites, the requesting party will be required to provide:
- The location of the record in question, including the city, county, or state where the case was filed.
- The name of someone involved, provided it is not a juvenile.
Requesters must provide relevant information associated with the record to conduct an online search for vital records. Some of these include:
- The registrant's name
- Date of the event
- Place of the event
- City or county where the life event occurred
- First and last name of parents
- Presiding judge (for marriage or divorce records)
How Do I Obtain Indiana Vital Records?
Birth and death records can be obtained at the Indiana State Department of Health Vital Records Division or any local health department in the county where the event occurred. Similarly, requesters can get marriage and divorce records at the county courthouses of the county where the marriage event took place. In addition, individuals may order birth and death certificates by mail, online, or by phone by submitting the relevant application form with valid identification and proof of relationship to the named individual on the certificate or record.
The information or documents needed to obtain Indiana vital records may vary slightly, depending on the type of request that is sought. Generally, to obtain an Indiana vital record, the searcher must provide a valid means of identification, as specified by the Department of Health. Other items needed are a request form and applicable fees by check or money order. These will depend on the record that the searcher is seeking.
Certified Copy vs. Informational Copy: Understanding the Difference
Certified Records are used for legal and identity purposes, such as applying for a driver’s license. At the same time, informational/non-certified copies are intended to serve only as proof that the certified copy exists on file.
Are Indiana Marriage Records Public Information?
Yes. Marriage records in Indiana are public information. Thus, interested members of the public can obtain marriage records from the designated record custodian at the state and county level.
How Do I Obtain Marriage Records in Indiana?
The public can find marriage records and request certified copies of the same for a fee at the Clerk of Court office in the county where the marriage occurred. Requests for public marriage records from 1907 - present may be made to the local health department in the county where the marriage was held or to the Indiana State Department of Health at:
Vital Records
Indiana State Department of Health
P.O. Box 7125
Indianapolis, IN 46206-7125
Applicants cannot obtain marriage records online. However, individuals can conduct a free statewide search and view logs from 1993 to the present and documents from 1958 to the present and before 1850 on the state’s digital library to find historical marriage records.
How to Get an Indiana Marriage Certificate
In Indiana, couples are provided with a “certified marriage license,” equivalent to a marriage certificate. Before obtaining a certified marriage license, a person and their intending spouse should go to the clerk’s office in an Indiana county where either of them resides (for in-state couples) or where the marriage will be solemnized (for out-of-state couples) and get a marriage license before getting married. Not later than ten days after the wedding solemnization, the couple must take back the original marriage license to the county clerk’s office where they received it. There, they may request to purchase a certified marriage license. A certified copy costs $25 for the first copy and $10 for each extra copy in the same request.
To conduct a marriage license search when the county where the marriage license was issued is unknown, the requester may use any of the free license lookup tools, including Indiana Courts’ marriage license public lookup, Indiana State Library’s Indiana marriages database through 1850, and Indiana State Library’s Indiana marriages database: 1958-2018
The couple may also keep a duplicate of the original uncertified license. However, the couple cannot use the photocopy for legal purposes.
Are Indiana Divorce Records Public Information?
Yes. Indiana divorce records are public information. Any member of the public can request, inspect, or view a divorce record. However, certified copies are only issued to persons with direct, legal, or tangible interest to the person(s) names stated on the certificate.
How Do I Obtain Divorce Records in Indiana?
Interested persons can obtain certified copies of divorce records at the county courthouse where the divorce happened. The fee per request varies by location. Requesters will also need to provide related information, namely:
- The full names of the persons involved
- The actual date of divorce
- The ex-wife’s maiden name
How to Get a Certified Divorce Certificate in Indiana
To get a certified copy of a divorce or dissolution of marriage decree in Indiana, interested persons should contact the County clerk's office where the marriage occurred or the Indiana State Library.
Searchers should note that they cannot get a divorce certificate or dissolution of marriage decree online in Indiana. However, online, they may acquire information about marriage licenses and divorce cases, like the marriage's dates.
Are Indiana Birth Records Public Information?
Yes, but it depends on the statutory period of confidentiality. According to state statutes, Indiana birth records earlier than 75 years after the birth are not accessible to parties who have no direct interest in the certificate. Only family members, present spouse(s), children, listed parents/guardians, legal representatives, or parties who can provide genuine proof of relationship and government-issued identification can access those records. But after 75 years, they become public birth records.
How Do I Obtain Indiana Birth Records?
To find Indiana birth records, requesters must present the following information about the individual whose record is being sought and pay the relevant fees:
- The Full name at birth
- The Date of birth
- The County/City of birth
- The Full names of the parent(s)
- The Mother’s maiden name
- The reason why he/she is requesting the record
- Papers of guardianship, if relevant
- Photocopy of a valid government-issued ID clearly showing the signature
- Proof of relationship
Suppose the applicant needs to get a birth certificate replacement but is less than 18 years of age. In that case, they will require a parent’s or guardian’s written signature, phone number, and a photocopy of their government-issued ID, clearly showing their signature.
Interested parties can order birth certificates by visiting the county’s health department where the birth occurred. Records can also be obtained via mail by printing, completing, and submitting the application for search and certified copy of birth record along with the related fees and identification, payable by check or money order, to:
Vital Records
Indiana State Department of Health
P.O. Box 7125
Indianapolis, IN 46206-7125
Note: The Indiana State Department of Health only keeps birth records from 1907 to the present.
Unofficial or uncertified copies of birth certificates between 1907 and 1940, which have become public birth records, may be obtained by contacting the Indiana State Archives at arc@iara.in.gov or through third-party sites.
To obtain birth records before 1882, researchers may search through historic local newspapers available through the Indiana State Library or records of religious affiliations to which the family might have belonged.
Is a Birth Certificate a Public Record in Indiana?
Yes. However, anyone seeking an Indiana birth certificate must have an immediate direct familial relationship with the owner of the record. Such relationships (such as a parent, legal guardian, grandparents, and siblings) must reflect on the birth certificate. Otherwise, they must have other acceptable legal or financial relationships with or interest in the owner of the record. Such persons must bear proof of their direct claim and a suitable means of identification.
The Indiana Department Of Health's Vital Records Division issues two forms of birth certificates:
- The standard birth certificate is a certified copy containing general identifying information extracted from a person's original birth certificate, such as name at birth, date of birth, place of birth, gender, parents' legal names at the time of delivery, file date, parents' states of birth, and the state certificate number.
- A long-form birth certificate is a certified copy that contains all the data initially submitted by the hospital at the time of birth. It includes additional statistical information such as the hospital's name, time of delivery, and the parents' dates of birth.
Suppose a person needs a replacement birth certificate after amending their personal information (for example, a name change). In that case, they should apply at the Division of Vital Statistics, presenting all relevant documentation.
Are Indiana Death Records Open to the Public?
Yes. Death records in Indiana are considered public records and can be viewed and accessed by members of the public.
How Do I Obtain Death Records in Indiana?
Interested individuals may find public death Records in the county’s health department where the death occurred for deaths between the years 1900 - 1917. For deaths recorded in Indiana after the year 1917, interested parties can perform a death record search by name at the Indiana State Department of Health. Persons who wish to initiate a death certificate search online need to have information such as the following:
- The State in which the death occurred
- The city where the death was recorded
- The Date of Death
- The Applicant’s purpose for ordering the certificate
- Relationship to the deceased
- The Applicant’s full legal name
Other information on the decedent’s certificate, such as date of birth, gender, social security number, and full name.
Alternatively, requesters may choose to send in mail requests with a completed application for search of certified and non-certified copy or death records, their valid identification, and the applicable fees. It costs $8 for the first copy and $4 for additional copies. Payment can be made by money order or check. Furthermore, requesters may visit the county’s health department in Indiana, where the death occurred, to find and order a death certificate.
Before 1882, no deaths were recorded by the county or state. For deaths that occurred before 1882, searchers may find these records by looking at third-party records keepers or substitutes like cemetery records, newspapers, probate (wills, etc), tax records, church records, census, Bible records, etc.
Is a Death Certificate Public Record in Indiana?
No. Death certificates are not public records in Indiana. However, unofficial or uncertified copies of death certificates between 1899 and 2011 are obtainable by contacting the Indiana State Archives at arc@iara.in.gov or through third-party sites.
However, to retrieve a certified death certificate, the requester must have a close direct relationship with the deceased or have other valid official or legal reasons to acquire it.
What are Vital Statistics in Indiana?
Vital statistics in Indiana consist of information obtained from reports of marriages, births, divorces, and deaths of persons who were born, lived, married, divorced, or died in Indiana. Indiana's bureau of vital statistics is the Division of Vital Records under the Indiana Department of Health.
To resolve questions or find Indiana vital statistics, persons may phone Vital Records' Customer Service at (317) 233-2700.
