Vital Statistics Records

Access to Vital Records

Vital Records are not considered to be public records in the State of New Hampshire. Records can only be issued to the individual to whom the record belongs or immediate family members. Immediate family members include: Parents, Step-Parents, Spouse, Sibling, Grandparent, Aunt or Uncle. We cannot issue to cousins, in-laws or other parties without proof of tangible interest. (For example, a legal guardian can obtain a record with proof of guardianship.)  Please note:  Photo identification is required of the person requesting the vital record. If you do not have photo identification, please contact our office for further instructions.

Fees

You can obtain certified copies of any vital record in person, by mail, or online.  The costs are $15 for the first copy and $10/each for subsequent copies. Checks, money orders, or cashiers checks can be accepted through the mail.  Please be sure to enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, properly completed Application for a Certified Copy of a Vital Record (PDF) (marriage, birth, death, divorce) and a copy of your driver's license.

All Certificates Available:

Marriage Certificates

Please confirm that you applied for your marriage license with the Town Clerks office in Windham, records available include 1960 until present day.

Death Certificates

Records available include 1965 until present day.  Please note, if you are a Funeral Director, or requesting for a Funeral Home, it is strongly recommended that you request records through our online services.  To do so, please go to:  EB2Gov VitalRecordRequest  

Birth Certificates

The birth needs to occur in New Hampshire. Records available include 1935 (except 1949 and 1959) until present day.

Divorce Decrees

The divorce needs to have occurred in New Hampshire. Records include from year 1979 until present day (within 6 months of current date).

Other Vital Records Services:

Home Birth

If your child was born at home, in Windham, and attended by a physician, midwife, or nurse midwife, then the attending shall report the birth to the Vital Records Division in Concord or to the Windham Registrar (Town Clerk) within one week of the birth.  The attendee must complete the birth worksheets including the medical and statistical sections in accordance with RSA 5-C:19.  Once completed, the birth worksheets are given to the parents, to provide to the Town Clerk.  To make an appointment, please email:  Townclerk@windhamnh.gov.  This will begin the process of creating the birth certificate for your newest addition. Congratulations!  

Correcting a Vital Record

Sometimes a person finds that the information on the official record is not complete or that some item of information on the certificate does not agree with what he/she believes to be the facts. When this is the case, it is possible to have missing information added or to have errors on the certificate corrected. 

Who Can Amend a Certificate?
Any person may apply for completion or correction of any certificate in which he/she is directly interested. Ordinarily, this will be the person whose certificate needs to be completed or corrected, one of the parents or the legal representative of the individual. If the registrant is 18 years of age or older, he/she must approve the requested change when the application is submitted by anyone other than themselves.

Where Application Should be Made?
Application to correct or complete a certificate must be made to the clerk of the city or town in which the event occurred. The fee for making a correction on a certificate is $10. This fee must accompany the application. If a certified copy of the record is desired, there is an additional fee of $15. per copy. 

How to Apply?
There is a form used for the purpose of applying to amend a certificate, it is called Form VSCR. The application is a controlled document that the Town Clerk has in their custody.  It must be signed by the person who is applying to amend the record, and notarized. For minor changes made within six months of the event, a different process and form is used Form VSX. 

Evidence Required
In addition to completing the form VSCR and having it notarized, the applicant must submit, at the same time, suitable documentary evidence to substantiate their statements. TWO pieces of supporting documentary evidence, dated as close to the date of the event as possible, are necessary to correct errors of any item on the certificate. One of the documents may be an affidavit of personal knowledge properly notarized.

A variety of documents may be submitted to prove the facts, with some documents more valuable in this respect than others. Always bear in mind that the evidence presented should refer as closely as possible to the time of the event in question, whether birth, marriage or death.

Such documents may include but are not limited to:

Newspaper clippings and other similar records can be used as documentation.  Notarized affidavits of personal knowledge can also be useful but they are in a less valuable category than the documentary evidence cited above.

When properly prepared, an affidavit should only be made by a person who has a first-hand knowledge of the facts in question and this should be clearly stated. It should indicate the basis on which the statement is being made, including relationship to the applicant, relative age and any other pertinent information that will help to strengthen the value of the statement. The affidavit is a supporting document not in the same category as an official record. 

Photographic copies or written statements of the information appearing on documentary evidence can be accepted in lieu of the original records if they are certified by the person who has the original record in his possession.

Documents used as evidence will be returned to the applicant after the certificate is amended.

Correction of Errors in Names and Adding Names
Sometimes a problem arises because the name which appears on the person's certificate is not the name by which he/she is commonly known. In this case it is necessary to determine whether the difference is due to an error on the certificate or whether the person's name has changed by usage.

If the names which appear on the certificate were in error, the name or names may be corrected by applying and presenting two early pieces of documentary evidence which show the individual's correct name or names.

If there is no proof that there was an error made at the time of recording, it will then be necessary to have the name legally changed by court order. Upon receipt of a certified copy of a court order changing the name of a person born in N.H. The amendment to the certificate of birth to shows the new name. "A.K.A." shall be noted and the new name added as indicated. The original name is NOT removed from the record. Both names shall appear on the face of the amended record.