How to Find Nebraska Birth Records

How to Find United States Births Nebraska Births

In 1867, Nebraska was created a state from the Nebraska Territory. Statewide registration of births began in 1904 in Nebraska and was generally complied with by 1920. The counties have copies of these records.

Next Step: When did the birth occur?	Birth Records Choose a time period to search for your ancestor's birth record: Births before 1869 Births from 1869 thru 1904 1904 thru 1920 Births after 1920 I don't know when the birth is

Learn more about U.S. Birth Records

Births before 1869

Nebraska was created a state from the Nebraska Territory in 1867. Before 1869, no births were recorded by the county or state. You must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.

Records that give birth information:
Death Records Cemetery Records Newspapers	Church Records Census Military Records

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Births from 1869 thru 1904

In 1867, Nebraska was created a state from the Nebraska Territory.

• A few Nebraska counties began recording births before statewide registration
• 1869 - City of Omaha began recording birth records
• From 1889, Lincoln began recording births
• 1904 - Nebraska Statewide birth registration began
• 1920 - Nebraska Statewide birth registration was generally complied
  

Nebraska Births
	Before 1905	A few Nebraska counties began recording births and deaths before statewide registration. Contact the county clerk to obtain copies of the records. Copies of the incomplete county records before 1905 (except Douglas County) are also available at the Bureau of Vital Statistics: Douglas County Health Department Vital Statistics, Civic Center, Room 402 1819 Farnam Street Omaha, NE 68183-0401 Telephone: 402-444-7205
Can't find your ancestor in the index?		Tips for searching indexes
No birth record for your ancestor?		Other records with birth information

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Births from 1904 thru 1920

Statewide registration of births and deaths began in 1904 and was generally complied with by 1920. Delayed registrations are also available from 1917 for births that occurred before that time. To obtain copies of the records, write to: cestor's birth or if you want order a copy of the certificate, then contact the Nebraska Department of Health office.

Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services
Division of Public Health
Vital Records
P.O. Box 95065
Lincoln, NE 68509-5065
Telephone: 402-471-2871
E-mail: DHHS.VitalRecords@nebraska.gov

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth:
For a fee, the Nebraska Department of Health office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:

• The person on the certificate
• The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
• The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
• The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
• The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

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Births after 1920

With an exact date (from your records or the index above), you can order a copy of the birth record for a fee from the following locations:

To Order Birth Certificates
From County of Birth		From NE Dept. of Health State office
Pros	Cons	Pros	Cons
May be less expensive and faster than ordering from the state	County websites can be more difficult to use	Offers a search of the state index for an additional fee	May be more expensive than ordering from the county

If you do not know the exact date or place of birth:
For a fee, the Nebraska Department of Health office will do a 3 year search.

Restrictions for persons born within the last 100 years:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate for those born within the last 100 years, you must be:

• The person on the certificate
• The parents and grandparents of person on the certificate
• The wife or husband of the person on the certificate
• The children and grandchildren of the person on the certificate
• The brothers or sisters of the person on the certificate
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the birth record cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above until 100 years have passed from the date of the birth.

If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.

Return to top: Choose another birth year

Related Wiki Articles

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