Births in an institution
When a child is born in Maine, the parents will complete a parent worksheet which provides baby and parent demographics. The hospital, midwife or other attendant will complete a medical worksheet. These two forms together will provide the information needed to complete a baby's birth certificate. If the birth takes in a hospital or birthing center, these forms will be provided to parents by the facility during their stay.
Home Births
If the child is delivered outside an institution, not in a moving conveyance, and unattended by a certified nurse midwife, professional or licensed midwife or other attendant then parents should request the worksheet from Data, Research, and Vital Statistics. Please email our office at VitalRecords.DHHS@Maine.Gov or call (207) 287-1919. These worksheets need to be completed as fully and accurately as possible, then signed and notarized.
In addition to the worksheet, two forms of evidence must be provided to support the existence of a live birth. Acceptable documentation of evidence is:
- Prenatal medical records for the mother
- Newborn exam by a health professional
- Medical or immunization report for the newborn
- Christening or baptismal records
- Signed, notarized personal affidavit by someone over age 5 who will affirm that they either saw the mother pregnant and then non pregnant and with the new baby, visited the home shortly after the birth or was present at the birth.
Facts You Should Know About Your Child's Birth Certificate (PDF).
Your baby's Social Security Number
Maine participates with the Social Security Administration's Enumeration at Birth program which allows parents to complete applications for SSNs for their newborns as part of the hospital birth registration process. The program eliminates the need for a parent to gather the necessary documents, complete an application for a Social Security Card, and take or mail original documents to a local Social Security office for processing. Within 2 to 4 weeks, a social security card will be issued.
Complementary Birth certificate not provided
Free birth certificates are not sent when the birth is registered. They can be purchased for $15 at Vital Records, at the town where the birth occurred, or the town of the mother's residence.
Filing Delayed Birth Certificates
Who May Apply:
Any person born in Maine, whose birth was not previously recorded, may apply for a delayed birth registration. (For individuals who are one year or younger requiring an original birth certificate, they must apply for a late filing of a birth record, not a delayed birth registration. Delayed birth registration is only for individuals who do not have an original birth certificate and are one year old or older.)
How to Apply:
Step 1. File an application: Complete the Delayed Birth Registration form (Form VS-60) and return it to DRVS. Complete the form carefully; this will be the permanent record of birth.
Step 2. Prove the facts of birth: Facts of birth include proof of name, birth date, and birthplace. The value of a delayed birth registration is determined by the quality of the evidence on which it is based. Therefore, it is important that the very best evidence available is used. Written official documents made at or near the time of birth offer the best proof of the facts of birth. Include as many documents as possible.
Documents/records which may be used as Proof of Facts of Birth
- Record made by the practitioner at the time of birth
- Hospital birth record
- Baptismal or Cradle Roll certificate
- Oldest available school record
- Record from U.S. Bureau of Census
- Selective Service or Military Service record
- Institutional records
- Marriage record -- certified copy
- Application for insurance or insurance policy
- Voting registration -- certified copy
- A court record
- A family Bible record which shows all necessary information
- A birth certificate of the applicant's child -- certified copy
- A newspaper announcement of the applicant's birth
- Affidavit of personal knowledge (only one affidavit of personal knowledge may be used. The person making oath must state his or her own age and the reason for knowing birth date, birthplace, and parentage), and must be at least five years older than applicant.
The minimum number of documents which must be provided for a delayed birth registration in Maine depends on the applicant's age, and are as follows:
- Ages 1 -- 14 years:
- The facts of birth must be supported by at least two documents from the list above. Only one affidavit of personal knowledge may be used.
- Ages 15 years and over:
- The date of birth must be supported by at least three documents. Only one of these may be an affidavit of personal knowledge with the person on the affidavit at least five years older than the applicant.
- The place of birth must be supported by at least three documents, only one of which may be an affidavit of personal knowledge.
- The facts of parentage must be supported by at least one document.
- Requirements for an Acceptable Document that may be used as evidence:
- Any document submitted as evidence for filing a delayed birth registration must clearly show at least one of the three facts (proof of name, birth date, and birthplace) required for the delayed birth registration.
- All documents submitted as evidence for filing a delayed birth registration must be in agreement with the facts which they are intended to establish.
- All documents submitted, except the affidavit of personal knowledge, must be at least five years old, or must be copies of records which were made at least five years prior to the date of filing the delayed birth registration.
- Each document should be (a) the original record itself, or (b) a photocopy of the original record certified as a true and correct copy by the custodian of the record, or (c) a signed statement of the exact content of the record from the custodian of the record or document.
- Each document must show: (a) the name of the organization or agency which has custody of the record, (b) the date when the original record was made, and (c) the date the record was copied. There should be no erasures on the document.
- Any document which shows more than one of the facts required for the delayed birth registration may be counted as one document for each of the facts which it shows. If a document shows both the birth date and birthplace of the applicant, it counts as one document for birth date and one document for birthplace.
- A document which shows the age of the registrant at the time the document was made is acceptable as evidence of birthplace if it is consistent with other evidence submitted to establish the birthplace.
- An affidavit of personal knowledge must be from an older relative or person with personal knowledge of the fact of birth and signed in front of a notary or other official qualified to take oaths.
- Delayed birth registration may not be filed for a person who is deceased.
- Names must be spelled exactly alike on all documents and given in the same order as shown on application to be accepted as evidence.
Where to File
The application to file a delayed birth registration should be completed in accordance with the instructions given and forwarded to the address below.
Town or city clerks will also assist to prepare the form and assemble the necessary evidence. There is a $60.00 fee for processing the delayed birth registration, which includes a certified copy. Check should be made payable to: Treasurer, State of Maine.
- Delayed Birth Registration (VS60) (PDF)
- Instructions for filing Delayed Birth Registration (VS61) (Word)
For any questions, please contact us directly:
Data, Research, and Vital Statistics (DRVS) Vital Records Unit
220 Capitol Street
State House Station (SHS) 11
(207) 287-3771
(888) 664-9491