How to Find Arkansas Birth Records

How to Find U.S. Birth Records Arkansas Arkansas Births

SEE ALSO Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records

Statewide registration of births began in 1914 in Arkansas with general compliance by the mid-1930s.

Next Step: When did the birth occur?	Birth Records Choose a time period: Before 1881 1881 thru 1913 After 1913 Birth year unknown

Learn more about U.S. Birth Records

Births before 1881

Before 1881, 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 Bible Records	Church Records Census Military Records

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Births from 1881 thru 1913

In 1881, some Arkansas counties and cities, such as Little Rock and Fort Smith, began recording births. If you cannot locate your ancestor in the databases below, try searching for birth information in other records.

For births that exist during the time period, try the following database:

Includes Index Only
	Arkansas Births, 1812-1965	FamilySearch - Free; incomplete; index only; although a few of the entries are for births before 1881 and after 1913, the majority of the entries are for 1881-1913.
Can't find your ancestor in the online index?		Tips for searching online indexes
No birth record for your ancestor?		Other records with birth information

Obtain the Record

With approximate birth years and places, you can locate birth records by contacting the appropriate county clerk's office, or on microfilm available through the FamilySearch Catalog by searching ARKANSAS [COUNTY] VITAL RECORDS.

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Births after 1913

Statewide registration of births began in 1914 in Arkansas with general compliance by the mid-1930s. Currently, there are no complete online indexes to Arkansas births from 1914 to the present. A few entries for births between 1914 and 1965 are indexed in the database Arkansas Births, 1812-1965 at FamilySearch.org.

Obtain the Certificate

With full names, dates and places of an event, you can order a copy of the birth certificate for a fee from the Arkansas Department of Health or VitalChek.

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
• Specific relatives
• Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate

NOTE: A copy of the birth certificate 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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Related Wiki Articles

• How to Find Arkansas Marriage Records
• How to Find Arkansas Death Records
• Online Arkansas Birth, Marriage and Death Records
• Arkansas Online Genealogy Records
• Learn more about U.S. birth records
• How to find U.S. marriage records
• How to find U.S. death records
• United States Record Selection Table
• U.S. Vital Records Overview
• United States Vital Records
• Locating United States Vital Records
• United States Death Records
• United States Marriage Records

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