Honolulu County Birth Records
Honolulu County birth records are held by the Hawaii State Department of Health, Office of Health Status Monitoring. The main vital records office sits at 1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 103, in downtown Honolulu. You can search for and order a Honolulu County birth certificate online at vitrec.ehawaii.gov, by mail, or in person during walk-in hours. The office serves every city and town on Oahu, from Urban Honolulu on the south shore up to the windward towns of Kaneohe and Kailua. This page gathers the local offices, fees, and rules for a Honolulu County birth record request.
Honolulu County Overview
Honolulu County Vital Records Office
The state vital records office sits in Honolulu County, so this is where every Oahu birth record request begins. The office is on the first floor of the Department of Health building, Room 103. Walk-in service runs Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with the office closed on state holidays. Appointments are welcome. Walk-ins are taken between set appointments. The building sits at the corner of Beretania Street and Punchbowl Street, and metered parking runs $2 per hour out front.
For a Honolulu County birth certificate, staff can help in person, by phone at (808) 586-4539, or by email at doh.issuanceQuery@doh.hawaii.gov. The DOH Vital Records homepage covers the full list of services, forms, and office closures. When applying in person, you must show a state ID, driver's license, or other government photo ID.
| Office | State Department of Health - Issuance/Vital Statistics Section |
|---|---|
| Address |
1250 Punchbowl Street, Room 103 Honolulu, HI 96813 |
| Mailing Address |
P.O. Box 3378 Honolulu, HI 96801 |
| Phone | (808) 586-4539 |
| doh.issuanceQuery@doh.hawaii.gov | |
| Walk-in Hours | Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. |
| Website | health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords |
How to Order Honolulu County Birth Records
Online is the fastest path to a Honolulu County birth certificate. The state portal at vitrec.ehawaii.gov lets you search and order a Hawaii birth record for events from July 1909 to the present. You pay with a credit or debit card, upload a photo ID, and the certificate ships by first-class mail. The portal runs on exact matches, so spell every name just the way it shows on the record.
Mail orders are the backup option. Download the application form from the Birth and Marriage Certificates page, fill it in, and send it with a money order or cashier's check made out to the Hawaii State Department of Health. Mail to P.O. Box 3378, Honolulu, HI 96801. Cash and personal checks are not accepted through the mail. The Legal Aid Society guide explains every field.
To order a Honolulu County birth record, you need:
- Full name on the birth record
- Date of birth and island of birth
- Parents' full names, including mother's maiden name
- Proof you are an eligible requester
- A valid photo ID
Walk-in service on Oahu often hands you the certified Honolulu County birth certificate the same day. Bring your ID, proof of eligibility, and payment. Cash, credit card, cashier's check, certified check, or money order are all accepted at the counter. Arrive early for faster service since the office closes at 2:30 p.m.
The Honolulu vital records overview covers the basics of who can request a Honolulu County birth record.
It reinforces what the DOH lists and covers eligibility, fees, and request paths.
Honolulu County Birth Record Fees
The state sets the fees for a Honolulu County birth record. The first certified copy is $10. Each added copy of the same record is $4. A portal fee of $2.50 is added for each increment of up to five copies. One certified copy placed online totals $12.50.
A letter of verification is a cheaper option when you only need proof that a Honolulu County birth record exists. The fee is $5. These letters are issued under HRS ยง338-14.3 and do not reveal any data the requester did not already know. The state also charges small apostille or authentication fees when a Hawaii birth certificate has to be sent abroad.
All fees are non-refundable. If the state cannot find the Honolulu County birth record, staff keep the fee to cover the search time. Keep the order confirmation in case you need to follow up. The current fee list is on the DOH fees and times page.
Tip: Fee waivers may apply for some wildfire survivors and other hardship cases. Ask DOH staff if you qualify.
Who Can Request Honolulu County Birth Records
Hawaii law limits access to birth records. Under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 338, only people with a direct and tangible interest can request a Honolulu County birth certificate. The registrant, the registrant's spouse, and the registrant's parents are all eligible. So are descendants, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins who share a common ancestor with the registrant.
Legal guardians, personal representatives of an estate, and agencies acting on the registrant's behalf can also request a Honolulu County birth record. A court order can open access in other cases. Adoptive parents who have filed a petition for adoption are eligible to request the pre-adoption Hawaii birth certificate. The DOH eligibility list spells out every class of approved requester.
Proof of the relationship is required. The DOH may ask for extra papers when the link is not clear from the ID alone. Bringing a marriage certificate, a parent's ID, or a court order can help.
Historical Oahu and Honolulu County Birth Records
The Hawaii State Archives holds older Oahu birth records. Its Vital Statistics Collection covers Oahu dates from 1852 to 1856, 1858 to 1860, and 1863 to 1873. The Archives also keeps Oahu birth announcements from 1850 through 1950, indexed on microfilm MFL 112 and in card catalogs. Records are filed under the letter "O" for Oahu in the collection's island code system.
The Hawaii State Archives building stands at the Kekauluohi Building on the Iolani Palace grounds in downtown Honolulu. Call (808) 586-0329 to set up a research visit. The Hawaii State Digital Archives puts some of the material online so researchers can start from home.
The Hawaii State Library system adds another path. Its Main Branch sits at 478 South King Street in downtown Honolulu, where the Hawaii and Pacific Collection holds indexes to birth records for 1896 through 1909. Call (808) 586-3535 to set up a visit. The UHM genealogy guide lists more Oahu resources.
Family History Centers run by the Genealogical Society of Utah offer free access to microfilm of Hawaii vital records. Honolulu County centers include Honolulu at (808) 955-8910, Kalihi at (808) 845-9701, Kaneohe at (808) 247-3134, Laie at (808) 293-2133, Mililani at (808) 623-1712, and Waipahu at (808) 678-0752. Staff can help you look up a historical Honolulu County birth record in the card index.
Adoption and Paternity Records in Honolulu County
Adoptions that took place in Honolulu County sit with the First Circuit Court at the Kapolei Judiciary Complex, 4675 Kapolei Parkway, Kapolei, HI 96707-3272. Call (808) 954-8145 for adoption record help. Available documents include the Letter of Non-Identifying Information of Racial Extraction of Biological Parents, the Adoption Decree, and the pre-adoption Hawaii birth certificate.
A Letter of Non-Identifying Information is often the best starting point. It reports the adopted person's biological ancestry without revealing names, and it is free to request. For paternity adds to a Honolulu County birth record, call DOH Vital Records Corrections on Oahu at (808) 586-4541. The Office of Hawaiian Affairs document guide lists every court and office in the chain.
Federal Guidance on Hawaii Birth Records
Federal agencies also point to the state office. The CDC's Where to Write for Vital Records guide for Hawaii lists the Office of Health Status Monitoring as the main source for any birth certificate. The guide gives the same Punchbowl Street address and the standard fee schedule used for Honolulu County birth records.
The CDC guide is a handy confirmation that you are working with the right state office for a Honolulu County birth record.
It also reminds out-of-state requesters that Hawaii birth certificates are not issued by county clerks.
When a Hawaii birth record is needed for a passport, REAL ID, or Social Security claim, the certified copy from the Honolulu office is the document those agencies accept. Plan 6 to 8 weeks of mail time if you are not on Oahu for a walk-in visit.
Cities in Honolulu County
Honolulu County covers the whole island of Oahu. Every city below shares the same vital records path through the Punchbowl Street office for a Hawaii birth certificate.
Nearby Counties
Need a birth record from another island? Use the links below to check the neighboring county offices that route through the same state system.