U.S. Vital or Civil Records. How to get them

The Embassy or Consulate can’t obtain vital records on your behalf. Vital records include but are not limited to  a birth or marriage certificate, a certified copy of a divorce decree, etc.

In the U.S., state, county or city governments, depending on location, usually hold such records. Please follow the link to The National Center for Health Statistics for more information on obtaining vital records.

Note: For your U.S. document to be accepted by the Dutch authorities, for example if you plan to get married, you must provide your document with an apostille. Please see our section on apostilles for further instructions.

There are also fee-based on-line services to help obtain records:

• www.Vitalchek.com (0800-255-2414), which allows you to request birth, death and marriage certifications online, by phone, or by fax.
• www.usbirthcertificate.net can help you obtain or amend a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, in addition to obtaining a birth certificate.