Hawaii County Birth Records
Hawaii County birth records are ordered through the State Department of Health, with local support from the Big Island District Health Office in Hilo. You can order a Hawaii County birth certificate online at vitrec.ehawaii.gov, by mail to the state office in Honolulu, or set up pickup at the Kamuela office on select days. Hawaii County is the Big Island, the largest land mass in the state at roughly 4,028 square miles. The county seat is Hilo. This page pulls together the local contacts, fees, and historical Hawaii County birth record resources.
Hawaii County Overview
Hawaii County Vital Records Office
The Big Island District Health Office provides local support for Hawaii County birth records, home birth registration, and paternity filings. The Hilo office is at 75 Aupuni Street, Suite 201, Hilo, HI 96720. The phone line rings at (808) 974-6008. Staff cannot issue certificates at the counter, but they walk you through the online ordering system and accept home birth paperwork for the state office in Honolulu.
Kamuela offers pickup service for pre-paid online orders. The office sits at 67-5189 Kamamalu Street, Kamuela, HI 96743, and the phone is (808) 887-8114. Pickup hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., by appointment only. Every Hawaii County birth certificate picked up here must be paid for online in advance. The full island schedule appears on the Big Island vital statistics page.
The Big Island District Health Office page lists the Hilo and Kamuela locations with current hours.
It also covers marriage licenses, paternity filings, and home birth registration.
| Hilo Office |
Big Island District Health Office 75 Aupuni Street, Suite 201 Hilo, HI 96720 Phone: (808) 974-6008 |
|---|---|
| Kamuela Office |
67-5189 Kamamalu Street Kamuela, HI 96743 Phone: (808) 887-8114 |
| Pickup Hours | Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. by appointment only |
| Online Orders | vitrec.ehawaii.gov |
How to Order Hawaii County Birth Records
Online orders are the quickest path for any Hawaii County birth record. The state portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov covers all events that took place in the islands from July 1909 to the present. Upload a photo ID, pay with a credit or debit card, and the certified Hawaii birth certificate ships by first-class mail.
Big Island residents can also select the Kamuela pickup option when ordering. You pay online, then book a pickup slot. This saves the 6 to 8 week mail wait. The Hilo office does not hand out certificates, but staff can help you fix a form that bounced for bad data. Every DOH order runs on exact matches, so careful typing matters.
To order a Hawaii County birth certificate, you need:
- Full name on the Hawaii birth record
- Date of birth and island of birth
- Parents' names, including mother's maiden name
- A valid government-issued photo ID
- A credit or debit card that matches the requester's name
Mail orders go to the State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring, Issuance/Vital Statistics Section, P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. Send a money order or cashier's check payable to the Hawaii State Department of Health. Personal checks and cash are not accepted.
Hawaii County Birth Record Fees
Fees for a Hawaii County birth record follow the statewide schedule. The first certified copy is $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 online order for one certified copy totals $12.50.
A letter of verification costs $5. It confirms that a Hawaii County birth record is on file but does not share any data the requester did not already give. Under HRS §338-14.3, letters of verification can be used in place of a full certificate for some needs. Apostille fees of $1 and authentication fees of $3 apply when a Hawaii birth certificate has to be sent abroad.
All fees are non-refundable. If the Hawaii County birth record is not located, the state keeps the fee to cover the search. Check the DOH fees page for the latest numbers.
Historical Hawaii Island Birth Records
The Hawaii State Archives holds older Big Island birth records. Its Vital Statistics Collection covers Hawaii Island dates from 1853 to 1858, 1860 to 1861, 1869 to 1897, and 1900. Records are filed under the letter "H" in the island code system. Holdings are arranged roughly by date and often came in as lists from early school teachers who kept registers for the old Department of Public Instruction.
The Hawaii State Archives on the Iolani Palace grounds in Honolulu holds the physical collection. The Hawaii Digital Archives puts parts of it online. FamilySearch has microfilmed Hawaii Island births from 1896 to 1919 and indexes from 1896 to 1949, some of it available through the Hawaii County genealogy wiki.
Hilo is the county seat of Hawaii County and home to the Big Island District Health Office.
Hawaii County was created on April 13, 1905, named for Hawaiʻiloa, the legendary Polynesian navigator.
The Hilo branch of the Hawaii State Library holds indexes to birth records for the years 1896 through 1909. These indexes help researchers confirm a name before sending a paid search request to the DOH. Similar sets live at the Kailua-Kona branch for west-side researchers.
Family History Centers on the Big Island include Kau at (808) 929-7123 and Kona at (808) 329-4469. Staff can pull microfilm of Hawaii Island vital records for free research time at the desk. These centers are a low-cost first stop for anyone working on a family tree that runs through Hawaii County.
Adoption Records at the Third Circuit Court
Adoptions filed in Hawaii County are held by the Third Circuit Court at Hale Kaulike, 777 Kilauea Avenue, Hilo, HI 96720-4212. Call (808) 961-7670 for adoption record help. The court can provide a Letter of Non-Identifying Information of Racial Extraction of Biological Parents, the Adoption Decree, and the pre-adoption Hawaii birth certificate.
The Letter of Non-Identifying Information is free and gives biological ancestry data without names. For a full pre-adoption Hawaii County birth record, the court requires a court order or the registrant's signed consent. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs document guide lists the exact steps for the Third Circuit.
Home Birth and Paternity in Hawaii County
Home birth registration runs through the local district office. Big Island parents file paperwork at the Hilo office under HRS §338-5, the compulsory registration rule. A local registrar helps complete the Hawaii birth certificate when neither parent can prepare it under HRS §338-6.
Voluntary Establishment of Paternity forms are also processed through the district office. Parents who want to add a father to a Hawaii County birth record can call the Hilo office at (808) 974-6008 for instructions, or reach DOH Vital Records Corrections on Oahu at (808) 586-4541.
Note: Hawaii County is bigger than all other Hawaiian islands combined. Plan travel time from Kona or Kau if you are visiting an office in person.
Cities in Hawaii County
Hawaii County covers the entire Big Island. Hilo sits on the east coast, Kona on the west. All Big Island birth records route through the same district office system.
Other communities on the Big Island include Kailua-Kona, Kamuela (Waimea), Pahoa, Pahala, Waikoloa, Volcano, Honokaa, and Naalehu. All of these areas use the Hilo and Kamuela offices for help with a Hawaii County birth record.
Nearby Counties
Not sure which county holds your Hawaii birth record? Try the neighboring county pages below.