The fee to obtain a certified copy of a birth certificate is $23.00. The maximum number of birth records issued to individuals cannot exceed 10 per lifetime.

• We accept credit/debit cards, cash, cashier’s checks, personal checks (with proper I.D.), and money orders made payable to Karen Phillips, County Clerk.

A birth record is a closed record and will not be open to the public until the 75th anniversary of the date of birth per Texas Government Code 552.115 (a) (2). Qualified Applicants can order their own record or the records of immediate family members.

• ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF ID TO OBTAIN A BIRTH CERTIFICATE - (English) (Spanish)
• BORN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS AFTER 1926 - The County Clerk’s office has Remote Birth Access. The Texas Department of State Health Services Remote Birth database provides the short, abstract style birth certificates from any county in Texas from 1926 to current. The abstract birth certificate is still a certified legal document.
• **Remote Birth Access is not available for those having a Delayed Birth Certificate.
• BORN IN THE STATE OF TEXAS BEFORE 1926 - To obtain a birth certificate prior to 1926, you must contact the county of your birth, OR you may contact the State of Texas by going to https://www.dshs.texas.gov/. **Remote Birth Access is not available for those having a Delayed Birth Certificate.
• BORN IN SMITH COUNTY, TEXAS NEEDING THE LONG FORM - Our office has long form birth certificates for births that occurred outside the City of Tyler, Smith County only from 1896 to current. If you need a long form birth certificate and you were born inside Tyler city limits, please contact the Northeast Texas Public Health District at (903) 535-0030 or (903) 535-0031
• BORN IN ANOTHER STATE – You will need to contact the Department of Health in the state of birth.
• DELAYED CERTIFICATES OF BIRTH – The Smith County Clerk’s office has all of Smith Counties delayed birth certificates.
• FOR THOSE BORN IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES WHO ARE U.S. CITIZENS AT BIRTH - contact Passport Services, Vital Records Section, U.S. Department of State, 1111 19th Street NW, Suite 510, Washington DC 20522-1705.

REQUEST BIRTH CERTIFICATE VIA MAIL: Obtain an application for a certified copy of a Birth Certificate. As of 9-1-2015, all requests received by MAIL for a Certified Copy of ANY Vital record must be accompanied with a copy of a Drivers License AND a Notarized Proof of Identity along with a cashier’s check or money order for $23.00. Make money order payable to Smith County Clerk. You must also send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Smith County Clerk, Attn: Vitals, 200 E. Ferguson Street, Ste. 300, Tyler, TX 75702.

**Average processing time is 1-3 business days once we receive the request.

TO PAY BY DEBIT/CREDIT CARD: Fill out the  One Time Credit-Debit Card Authorization Form and return with your original application and a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Office hours: 8:00a.m. – 5:00p.m. All transactions must be completed by 5:00p.m. to allow the necessary time for the deputy clerks to close and reconcile their registers. For information, please call the Vital Statistics Department at (903) 590-4697 or (903) 590-4698.

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