Search Hawaii Birth Records
Looking up Hawaii birth records starts with the State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring. This office keeps every certified birth certificate filed in the islands. You can search for a Hawaii birth record and order a copy online, by mail, or in person at the Punchbowl Street office in Honolulu. The state also lets you search older vital records through the Hawaii State Archives and the Digital Archives system. Whether you need a certificate for a passport, school, or family history work, the guide below walks you through where to look and how to request the birth record you need.
Hawaii Birth Records Overview
Where Hawaii Birth Records Are Kept
The State Department of Health holds Hawaii birth records through its Office of Health Status Monitoring. Staff keep and issue certified birth certificates for every birth that took place in the islands. The main Hawaii vital records office sits at 1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 103, on the first floor of the Department of Health building at the corner of Beretania and Punchbowl in Honolulu. Phone lines and an email box run during office hours. The DOH Vital Records site is the main start point for any Hawaii birth certificate request.
Each island also has a district health office that can help. Hawaii County is served by the Big Island District Health Office in Hilo. Maui County works through the Maui District Health Office in Wailuku. Kauai County uses the Kauai District Health Office in Lihue. These offices give help and pickup service for online orders. The state office on Oahu stays the main record keeper. All birth records route through its issuance team.
The state page is a good first stop for anyone new to this process. The DOH Vital Records homepage lists every method for a Hawaii birth certificate request and the current office hours.
The page links to forms, fees, eligibility rules, and the online ordering portal used by people across Hawaii.
Note: Only the State Department of Health issues certified Hawaii birth certificates. District offices offer support, but the main office in Honolulu handles every birth record request.
How to Order Hawaii Birth Records Online
The fastest way to get a Hawaii birth record is the online portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov. The state built this tool so you can search for and order a birth certificate from home. You upload a photo ID, pay with a credit or debit card, and the certified copy ships by first-class mail.
The online system covers Hawaii birth records from July 1909 to the present. Older records and special requests must go through the mail-in or in-person path. You can place an order as a guest, but a free eHawaii account lets you track past orders and re-order with less typing. The site does exact matches only. A misspelled name or wrong date can cause the search to fail. Double-check every field before you submit.
To complete the online Hawaii birth certificate order, you need:
- Full name on the birth record
- Date of birth and island of birth
- Parents' names as they appear on the record
- A government-issued photo ID to upload
- A credit or debit card in the requester's name
The name on the payment card must match the name on the order form and the birth record. If it does not, the order may be held for review. The About Vital Records page lays out the full system rules. Mail time runs 6 to 8 weeks for most orders, so plan ahead if you need a Hawaii birth certificate for a passport or REAL ID.
The Birth and Marriage Certificates page walks through the three ways to order a Hawaii birth record and the eligibility list.
Read it before you start an order so your documents and fees line up with the state's rules.
Requesting Birth Records by Mail
Mail orders still work for people who do not want to use the web. You download the application form from the DOH, fill it out, and send it in with payment and a copy of a photo ID. The Office of Health Status Monitoring processes mail orders in the order received.
Mail the application and supporting items to the State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Issuance/Vital Statistics Section, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. Pay by money order or cashier's check made out to the Hawaii State Department of Health. Cash and personal checks are not accepted through the mail. The Legal Aid Society vital records guide has a plain-language walkthrough of the form.
If the record is not found, the state keeps the fee to cover the search. Only one name can appear on each form. Extra copies require extra fees listed on the order page. Apostille and authentication requests, needed for many foreign uses, can only go through the mail path or an in-person visit. The state does not issue apostilles through the online system.
Applying for Hawaii Birth Records In Person
Walk-in service is open at the Honolulu office Monday through Friday from 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., not counting state holidays. Bring a valid photo ID and your payment. Cash, credit card, cashier's check, certified check, or money order all work for in-person payment. Plan for metered parking near the building.
The office sees walk-ins between set appointments. On Oahu you can get a same-day certified Hawaii birth certificate in many cases. The Processing Times and Fees page lists the current office hours and holiday closures.
Before you visit, check the Processing Times and Fees page for any delays and the full schedule.
REAL ID and other flags can add time, so call ahead when a tight deadline is in play.
Pickup for neighbor island orders works in some cases. The Kamuela District Health Office on the Big Island takes pickup appointments on set days, but only for orders paid online ahead of time. Maui offers no pickup service at all, so Maui birth records ship by mail even when you order in person. Kauai accepts pickup at the Lihue office after online payment. Check the district office page for the island where your birth record is routed.
Hawaii Birth Records Fees
Hawaii sets birth certificate fees by statute. The first certified copy of a Hawaii birth record costs $10. Each added copy of the same record is $4. A portal administration fee of $2.50 is added for each increment of up to five copies. A single certified copy orders runs $12.50 at total.
A letter of verification is a cheaper option in some cases. Under HRS §338-14.3, the state can issue a letter that confirms a Hawaii birth record is on file without giving out the full certificate. The fee for a letter of verification is $5. This option works when another agency only needs to confirm a record exists.
Apostille and authentication add two more small charges. You send $1 per apostille made payable to the Office of the Lt. Governor, and $3 per authentication made payable to the Chief Clerk, First Circuit Court. These are on top of the base Hawaii birth certificate fees. Sending the wrong payee or a personal check can slow your order down.
All fees are non-refundable. If the record is not found, the state keeps the fee to cover its search time. Keep a copy of your order confirmation in case you need to follow up. Fees can change, so check the current schedule on the DOH fees page before you mail anything.
Who Can Access Hawaii Birth Records
Hawaii birth records are not open to the public. Access is restricted under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 338, in particular HRS §338-18. The law limits who may view or get a copy of a Hawaii birth certificate. The state must be satisfied that the requester has a direct and tangible interest in the record.
Eligible people include the registrant, the registrant's spouse, the registrant's parents, a descendant like a child or grandchild, a sibling or other relative who shares a common ancestor, a legal guardian, and a person or agency acting on the registrant's behalf. A personal representative of the registrant's estate is also eligible. A court order can also grant access to a Hawaii birth record when none of the above paths work.
Adoptive parents who have filed a petition for adoption can request a Hawaii birth certificate as part of that case. A person who needs a birth record to settle a property matter, check marital status, or process credit insurance may also qualify under the rules. The full list of eligible persons appears in the DOH birth certificates guide.
Note: You must show proof of your relationship to the person on the Hawaii birth record. The state may ask for added documents when the link is not clear from the ID alone.
Historical Hawaii Birth Records and Genealogy
The state has a separate path for family history work. Under HRS §338-18(e), the Department of Health may let genealogy researchers see microfilm or other copies of vital records for events that took place more than 75 years ago. The Genealogy Requests page lays out the forms and rules for this kind of search.
For records prior to 1921, you download the genealogy request form, fill it in, and mail it with supporting documents and payment. When the Hawaii birth record you need is more than 115 years old, you can set up a staff genealogy appointment to review the file in person. Records newer than 115 years still require proof of a direct and tangible interest. The state draws a clear line between current birth records and true genealogy material.
The DOH genealogy page is the entry point for older Hawaii birth records research.
Start there, then branch out to the Archives and library sources listed below.
The Hawaii State Archives keeps the Vital Statistics Collection, with records from 1826 to 1929. Holdings are arranged by island using short codes: H for Hawaii, K for Kauai, M for Maui, Mo for Molokai, N for Niihau, and O for Oahu. Birth records in this set are small in scale, about 1.5 linear inches of paper, but they reach into the 1800s. The collection holds lists kept by school teachers who reported birth dates to the old Department of Public Instruction, plus a few baptismal records.
The Hawaii State Digital Archives makes parts of the collection searchable online. The site is in beta but already covers millions of records. Indexes to Hawaii birth records for 1896-1909 are at the Hawaii State Library on King Street in Honolulu, along with the Hilo, Kahului, Kaneohe, Lihue, and Kailua-Kona branches. The University of Hawaii at Manoa genealogy guide walks through both the Archives and the library system.
The Hawaii State Archives building on the Iolani Palace grounds holds the core historical collection.
Call (808) 586-0329 to set up a research visit.
The Digital Archives project is a long-term effort to protect Hawaii vital records from loss and format drift. The state wants a trusted home for every birth, marriage, and death record in its care. As more material comes online, family history work gets easier. FamilySearch and the Genealogical Society of Utah also run Family History Centers in Honolulu, Kalihi, Kaneohe, Laie, Mililani, Waipahu, Kahului, Kau, and Kona.
The Digital Archives portal shows search tools for historical Hawaii birth records.
The site is free, open around the clock, and covers many types of vital records.
Out of State Hawaii Birth Records
Some people born outside Hawaii can still get a Hawaii birth record. Under HRS §338-17.8, the Director of Health can issue a birth certificate for a person born in another state or country if the legal parents had declared Hawaii as their legal residence for at least one year before the birth. You need proof of that residence. The Director sets rules to prevent fraud and may ask for added papers.
This rule helps Hawaii families who were traveling or stationed out of the islands when a child was born. It also helps some adopted children. The fee for each out-of-state birth record application follows the schedule set by the DOH. Send the request by mail or file it in person. Online orders do not cover this special case.
The statute for out of state births is published on the state law site.
Read the text of HRS §338-17.8 before you start an application.
Amending Hawaii Birth Records
Hawaii birth records on file can be changed, corrected, added to, or fixed with a formal amendment. Common reasons include a name change, a typo on the original certificate, or a paternity update. The DOH Corrections and Registration Office on Oahu handles most of these requests. The office is open Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
You need proof that lines up with the change. A court order, a sworn affidavit, or other official paper may be required. An amended birth record can also be prepared for a person born in a foreign country and legally adopted in Hawaii. The full set of rules lives in HRS Chapter 338 and the Hawaii Administrative Rules that go with it.
Home births add another step. Parents register a home birth with the local registrar or district health office. The Big Island office in Hilo, the Maui District Health Office in Wailuku, and the Kauai District Health Office in Lihue all handle home birth registration. Under HRS §338-5, a birth certificate must be filed with the local agent of the department within the set time window.
The text of HRS Chapter 338 spells out the rules for every kind of Hawaii birth record change.
Read the chapter at Justia's Hawaii code page for current law.
Library Help with Hawaii Birth Records
The library system adds a set of free research tools for Hawaii birth records. The Hawaii State Library on King Street in Honolulu has microfilm copies of vital records indexes in its Hawaii and Pacific Collection. Call (808) 586-3535 to set up a visit. The University of Hawaii library adds more help through the UHM genealogy guide.
Library staff cannot issue certified Hawaii birth certificates. They can show you how to use an index, order microfilm, or link a finding to the right Archives record. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs document guide lists every major archive, library, and government office that helps with birth record research.
The UHM Manoa library guide gives a map of where to look for Hawaii birth records by time period.
It also ties in with the Hawaii State Archives collections and the online FamilySearch databases.
Browse Hawaii Birth Records by County
Hawaii has five counties, and each one has a district health office or a shared record path. Pick a county below to see office hours, pickup rules, phone numbers, and the local contacts for Hawaii birth records.
Hawaii Birth Records in Major Cities
Bigger Hawaii cities share the state birth record system but have local district offices and support points. Pick a city below for the nearest office, the mailing address, and the online order link for that area.