Vital Records

Tarrant County vital records services help residents obtain certified birth, death, and marriage records, apply for marriage licenses, record informal marriages, and complete several related County Clerk transactions. This article explains which records the Tarrant County Clerk maintains, who may request restricted certificates, how in-person, mail, and online requests differ, what identification and information to prepare, current fees, marriage license requirements, and which office location may be most convenient.

County Clerk Vital Records Services

The Vital Records Division of the Tarrant County Clerk’s Office serves as the registrar of birth and death records for 28 cities and eight precincts within the county. The office also issues and maintains marriage licenses recorded in Tarrant County. Its related services include certified marriage license copies, declarations of informal marriage, assumed name filings, and the recording of military discharge documents.

The county’s Vital Records service page is the main official source for current office information and available services. All vital records services are offered at the downtown office and seven neighborhood offices. Regular hours are Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding county holidays.

Appointments are available for Vital Records offices. On the appointment system, applicants should select “Vitals” as the service and follow the prompts. Existing appointments may also be rescheduled or canceled through the system. An appointment does not replace the identification, eligibility, payment, or documentation requirements for the requested service.

Birth Certificate Requests

Certified birth certificates may be requested in person, by mail, or online through the County Clerk’s approved online ordering provider. Every copy issued by the County Clerk is certified. The correct method depends on where the birth occurred, whether the county holds the original record, and how quickly the applicant can provide the required identification and application materials.

Birth records remain confidential for 75 years from the date of birth. During that period, access is limited to qualified applicants. The county identifies immediate family members as the mother, father, brother, sister, parent, grandparent, or child of the person named on the certificate. A grandparent may obtain a grandchild’s record, but a grandchild must demonstrate a direct tangible need to obtain a grandparent’s record.

A legal guardian, a legal representative of the family, or an organization or government agency with a direct tangible need may also qualify. Applicants should not assume that knowing the person named on the certificate is enough. The request must meet the county’s relationship or direct-need rules, and the applicant must provide acceptable identification.

Required Identification

A current government-issued picture ID is required for a certified birth certificate. Examples identified by the County Clerk include:

Driver’s license
State identification card
United States passport
Military identification
Visa

If the person requesting the certificate does not have proper identification, the county allows a written, notarized affidavit from someone who gives that person specific permission to obtain the record. The affidavit cannot be used for a third-party request. The person receiving permission must still complete a separate application and present a valid government-issued ID.

Full and Abstract Copies

Birth certificates are available as full copies or abstract copies. A full copy is a copy of the original certificate and may include a history of corrections made to the record. A short-form or abstract certificate shows current information, including the person’s name, date and place of birth, sex, and parent information, but it does not show the history of corrections.

The County Clerk issues a full copy when its office holds the record. Birth certificates from another Texas county may be available only as abstract copies through the statewide remote system. Abstract certificates may not be suitable for passport purposes. Anyone obtaining a certificate for a passport or immigration matter should confirm the required format with the office handling that transaction before ordering.

City Record Limitations

For certain events, the appropriate city registrar rather than Tarrant County may hold the needed record. Applicants should contact the appropriate city hall when a birth or death occurred in Arlington from 1971 to the present or in Grapevine from 1973 to the present.

For those city and date combinations, Tarrant County Vital Records can provide only an abstract birth certificate and does not have access to the death record. This distinction can prevent an unnecessary county request when the actual record must be obtained from the city.

Birth Certificate Fees

The fee is $23 for each certified birth certificate. Unlike death certificates, there is no reduced fee for additional birth copies stated in the county reference. Applicants requesting several copies should calculate the charge at $23 per copy.

Current procedures, eligibility details, city restrictions, and certificate formats are explained on the official Birth and Death Records page.

Death Certificate Requests

Death records are confidential for 25 years from the date of death. During that period, certified copies may be issued to immediate family members who provide valid government-issued identification. Legal guardians, family legal representatives, and organizations or government agencies with a direct tangible need may also qualify under the county’s access rules.

A death certificate cannot be issued until the funeral home files the record with the County Clerk’s Office. A request made before filing is complete cannot be fulfilled, even when the applicant is an eligible immediate family member. Families seeking a recent death certificate should account for this filing step before visiting an office or submitting an application.

Death Certificate Fees

The first certified death certificate costs $21. Each additional copy costs $4 when the copies are purchased at the same time. The reduced additional-copy rate applies only to copies included in the same transaction. A certificate ordered later would begin a new transaction at the first-copy fee.

Choosing the Correct Registrar

The place and date of death determine whether Tarrant County has access to the record. Deaths occurring in Arlington from 1971 to the present or Grapevine from 1973 to the present must be handled through the appropriate city hall because the Tarrant County Clerk does not have access to those death records.

Death certificates from another state cannot be issued by the Tarrant County Clerk. The requester must contact the registrar in the city, county, or state where the death occurred.

Request Methods and Documents

Certified birth and death certificates may be obtained in person, by mail, or online. Although each route leads to a certified record, the application and payment process differs. Applicants should select one method and follow all requirements for that method rather than combining instructions from separate procedures.

In-Person Applications

An eligible applicant may complete an application and purchase a certificate at any of the eight Vital Records locations. The applicant should bring a current government-issued picture ID and enough information to identify the record accurately. All offices operate Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., excluding county holidays.

Visiting a neighborhood office may be more convenient than traveling to downtown Fort Worth. The official Vital Records locations page identifies all eight offices and their regular hours.

Requests by Mail

A remote applicant may download and complete the birth or death record application in English or Spanish. A mail request must include:

A completed application for the requested birth or death record
A copy of the applicant’s identification
A self-addressed, stamped envelope
A check or money order payable to the Tarrant County Clerk’s Office
The correct fee for the number and type of certificates requested

Birth certificate mail requests require $23 for each copy. Death certificate requests require $21 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy ordered in the same request. Missing identification, an incomplete application, an incorrect payment amount, or the absence of a return envelope can prevent the request from being processed as submitted.

Online Certificate Orders

The County Clerk permits certified birth, death, and marriage record orders through its only approved official internet business partner, VitalChek Network Inc. Online orders may be paid by credit card. Applicants should reach the online service through the County Clerk’s official pages rather than relying on unrelated record-search businesses.

The county’s online ordering route does not change record confidentiality or applicant eligibility. A person requesting a restricted birth or death certificate must still qualify for access and provide the documentation required for the order.

Marriage License Applications

The Tarrant County Clerk issues two types of marriage documents: a formal marriage license and a Declaration and Registration of an Informal Marriage, commonly called a common-law marriage declaration. Although the two services share some identification and age requirements, their eligibility rules, fees, and procedures are different.

Formal License Requirements

Both applicants generally must appear together in person or together by video conference. The video conference option is available only for formal marriage license applicants. Each applicant must be at least 18 years old and present valid government-issued picture identification.

Names are entered on the marriage license exactly as they appear on the applicants’ IDs. The County Clerk cannot alter a name or correct its spelling when the identification displays that name or spelling. Applicants should review their identification before applying and should not expect the Clerk’s office to enter a different version.

Each applicant must know their Social Security number when applicable. A blood test is not required. Applicants using the video conference option also need an Affidavit of Age and Identity and must have access to a computer or laptop, reliable high-speed internet service, a microphone, speakers, and a webcam.

Residency and License Fees

The standard formal marriage license fee is $76. The County Clerk accepts cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover. Credit card payments include a 1.73% fee.

The fee is $16 for couples who complete a State of Texas-approved marriage education class and present a printed, valid Twogether in Texas certificate or a qualifying premarital counseling certificate.

An additional $100 out-of-state applicant fee applies when neither applicant can prove Texas residency. County-listed examples of proof include a driver’s license, state ID, handgun license, vehicle registration, property tax statement or homestead exemption, voter registration card, military orders showing Texas as the home of record, income tax document, paycheck stub, employer letter, receipt of state benefits, or 12 months of utility bills. A post office box is not accepted as a residence address.

Waiting and Expiration Periods

A formal marriage license normally has a 72-hour waiting period after issuance before the ceremony may occur. The waiting period does not apply when an applicant is an active-duty member of the United States armed forces and presents military identification to the person performing the ceremony.

The waiting period may also be waived when the applicant obtains a waiver signed by a District Judge. The waiver must be shown to and retained by the person conducting the ceremony. Applicants with a valid Twogether in Texas certificate or qualifying premarital counseling certificate may also avoid the waiting period, but the printed certificate must be shown both to the person issuing the license and to the person performing the ceremony.

The marriage ceremony must take place within 90 days after the license is issued. The county states that there are no exceptions to this expiration rule. Applicants should choose an application date that accommodates both the 72-hour waiting period and the planned ceremony date.

A person who has been divorced must generally wait 30 days after the divorce becomes final before remarrying. When that waiting period has been waived, a certified copy of the waiver must be presented when the marriage license is purchased.

Applications Started Online

Applicants may complete and save a marriage license application online before visiting an office. Completing the online form does not issue the license. Applicants must still appear in person to sign the application and purchase the license, and the Clerk may request additional information when it is issued.

The application and issuance process may be completed at the downtown office or a Tarrant County subcourthouse. Detailed eligibility rules and procedural distinctions appear on the official Marriage Licenses page.

Special Marriage Circumstances

Applicants Under Age 18

An applicant under 18 must have a Texas court order issued under Chapter 31 of the Texas Family Code that removes the applicant’s disabilities of minority for general purposes. The minor applicant must also present a certified birth certificate along with a current school ID, driver’s license, or state ID.

Absent Applicant Rules

An absentee affidavit may be used when one applicant cannot personally appear before the County Clerk. The other applicant may apply on behalf of the absent applicant using the completed affidavit.

The County Clerk generally may not issue a license when both applicants are absent. The stated exception applies when both are members of the United States armed forces stationed in another country in support of combat or another military operation. A proxy may participate in the ceremony for a service member stationed in another country in support of combat or another military operation who cannot attend.

Informal Marriage Declarations

A couple may record an informal marriage when they agreed to be married, lived together in Texas as a married couple after that agreement, and represented to other people that they were married. Both parties must appear. An absentee affidavit cannot be used for an informal marriage declaration.

Each party must be at least 18 years old, and neither person may already be married to someone else. The fee is $41, payable by cash or an accepted credit card. Credit card use adds a 1.73% fee.

Returning a Completed License

After the ceremony, the person who performs it is responsible for returning the completed marriage license to the County Clerk within 30 days of the marriage date. The license may be returned using the envelope provided by the Clerk or mailed to the County Clerk’s office.

The recording process can be expedited by hand-delivering the completed license to one of the eight Vital Records locations. When one of the people named on the license delivers it, the county states that recording can occur while that person waits. When someone else delivers it, the recorded license must be mailed to the newlyweds.

Certified Marriage License Copies

A certified copy is different from the marriage license application or the original license issued before the ceremony. The completed license must first be returned and recorded before a certified recorded copy can be issued.

The fee for a certified marriage license copy is $21 for the first copy and $11 for each additional copy. Copies may be requested in person, by mail, through the approved online provider, or electronically through the county’s official records system when the marriage license was obtained and recorded in Tarrant County.

Information Needed for Copies

For an in-person certified copy request, the requester should know both applicants’ names and the date of marriage. The county’s fee schedule states that mail requests should include:

The full name of the groom
The full name of the bride as entered when the license application was made
The year of the marriage

The County Clerk’s frequently asked questions also instruct mail requesters to include the applicants’ names, the marriage date, and a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Supplying the names as they appeared on the original application is especially useful because the Clerk records the license using the identification presented when the couple applied.

Marriage licenses obtained and recorded in Tarrant County may be searched and viewed through the county’s official records system. A free unofficial copy may be downloaded, while an electronic certified copy may be purchased and delivered by email. Records from another county must be requested from the county that issued and recorded the license.

Corrections and Apostilles

Corrections to a birth certificate, including a misspelled name, are submitted to the Texas Department of State Health Services Vital Statistics Section in Austin. Forms may be obtained through a Vital Records location or the state’s official health and human services website.

The process for adding a birth father depends on the circumstances. The County Clerk directs applicants to contact Vital Records for information specific to the record rather than assuming that a standard certificate-copy application will make the change.

An apostille is handled separately from obtaining the certified record. The applicant must first obtain the certified birth, death, or marriage document and then send it to the Texas Secretary of State with the required fee and materials. The County Clerk issues the certified record but does not replace the Secretary of State’s apostille process.

Records Handled Elsewhere

Divorce records are not maintained by the Vital Records Division. Tarrant County divorce records are handled by the District Clerk’s Office. A marriage license search will not produce a divorce decree, and a request for a certified marriage license copy does not verify that the marriage remains legally in effect.

Birth certificates from another state cannot be issued by the Tarrant County Clerk. Applicants must contact the registrar for the city, county, or state where the birth occurred. Texas birth records from outside Tarrant County may be available through the state remote system, but those records are issued in abstract form through the county.

Applicants should also distinguish a certified record from an unofficial search result. An online marriage license image may help identify a record, but an unofficial downloaded copy is not the same as an electronic or paper certified copy.

Related County Clerk Filings

Assumed Names

An assumed name, also called a DBA, should be filed with the County Clerk in the county where the business will operate. A business owner may operate under multiple assumed names, but each name requires a separate filing.

The stated filing fee is $24 plus 50 cents for each additional owner. An applicant may complete an application at a county location or mail a notarized application with the fee and a self-addressed, stamped envelope.

Military Discharge Records

Veterans may record military discharge documents, commonly called DD214 records, with the County Clerk at no charge. A recorded military discharge document is kept confidential for 75 years. This filing is separate from ordering a birth, death, or marriage certificate.

Fees and Payment Planning

Fees vary by transaction, so applicants should identify the exact service before preparing payment. The principal charges stated by the county are:

Birth certificate: $23 per copy
Death certificate: $21 for the first copy and $4 for each additional copy purchased at the same time
Certified marriage license copy: $21 for the first copy and $11 for each additional copy
Formal marriage license: $76
Formal license with a qualifying marriage education certificate: $16
Out-of-state applicant charge: an additional $100 when neither applicant proves Texas residency
Informal marriage declaration: $41
Assumed name filing: $24 plus 50 cents for each additional owner
Military discharge recording: no charge

Marriage license and informal marriage payments may be made with cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover. Credit card use adds a 1.73% fee. Mail requests for birth and death certificates require a check or money order payable to the Tarrant County Clerk’s Office. Applicants can review the official Vital Records fee schedule before submitting payment.

Common Request Problems

Many unsuccessful or delayed requests result from selecting the wrong record holder, requesting a confidential record without qualifying, or submitting incomplete information. Several checks can prevent a wasted trip or returned mail application.

Confirm that Tarrant County or its covered jurisdiction holds the record.

For restricted birth and death records, verify that the applicant qualifies as immediate family or under another permitted category.

Bring or include an acceptable government-issued picture ID.

Use the name as it appeared on the original record rather than a later name when identifying a marriage license.

Include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with a mail request.

Calculate first-copy and additional-copy fees correctly.

Do not request a recent death certificate before the funeral home has filed the record.

Allow for the marriage license waiting period and 90-day expiration deadline.

Do not treat an online marriage application as an issued marriage license.

Request divorce records from the District Clerk rather than Vital Records.

When a PDF application does not work correctly in a browser, county instructions recommend downloading the file and opening it directly on the device. Browser security settings can interfere with editable form fields. Saving the document before completing it may avoid that issue.

Vital Records Offices

Tarrant County Plaza Building

200 Taylor Street, 3rd Floor
Fort Worth, Texas 76196-2000
817-884-1550

Arlington Subcourthouse

700 E. Abram Street
Arlington, Texas 76010
817-884-1550

Charles F. Griffin Building

3212 Miller Avenue
Fort Worth, Texas 76105
817-884-1550

Gary Fickes Northeast Subcourthouse

645 Grapevine Highway, Suite 120
Hurst, Texas 76054
817-884-1550

Mansfield Subcourthouse

1100 E. Broad Street, Suite 102
Mansfield, Texas 76063
817-884-1550

Southlake Town Hall

1400 Main, Suite 140
Southlake, Texas 76092
817-884-1550

J.D. Johnson Northwest Subcourthouse

6713 Telephone Road, Suite 202
Lake Worth, Texas 76135
817-884-1550

Dionne Phillips Bagsby Southwest Subcourthouse

6551 Granbury Road, Suite 110
Fort Worth, Texas 76133
817-884-1550

Tarrant County Clerk’s Office

200 Taylor Street, Suite 301
Fort Worth, Texas 76196
817-884-1550

Tarrant County District Clerk’s Office

100 N. Calhoun Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76196
817-884-1880

Vital Records FAQs

Can I use a Tarrant County birth certificate for a passport?

That depends on where the birth was registered and which certificate format Tarrant County can issue. For a birth recorded outside Tarrant County, the County Clerk may provide only a short-form certificate through the Texas remote system. Federal passport and immigration transactions may require a certificate issued by the state registrar or the registrar in the city or county of birth. Before ordering, confirm the document requirements with the federal agency processing the application. The county explains these distinctions on its official Vital Records FAQ page.

Will the County Clerk accept an expired ID?

An expired identification document may be accepted in limited situations when it is submitted with another form of identification that has not expired. Approval depends on the identification combination and the rules that apply to the requested record. Applicants should review the current acceptable-identification requirements before mailing an application or visiting an office. When the requester cannot meet those requirements, an eligible immediate family member with acceptable identification may be able to request the birth certificate instead.

How do electronic marriage certificate copies work?

Marriage licenses issued and recorded in Tarrant County can be located through the county’s official records system. Searchers may view the record and download an unofficial copy at no charge. When proof of the recorded marriage is required, an electronic certified copy can be purchased through that system and delivered by email. This option is limited to licenses obtained and recorded in Tarrant County; records issued by another county must be requested from that county.

Can someone marry an incarcerated person?

Tarrant County permits a marriage license application involving an incarcerated applicant when the applicable requirements are satisfied. The absent applicant generally must complete a notarized absentee affidavit, while the other applicant completes the license process. Both individuals must meet the age and identification rules. The county also states that both parties must be present for the marriage ceremony, so applicants should verify the correctional facility’s ceremony procedures before purchasing the license.