Vital records · Arizona
Arizona birth certificate by mail: ID copy or notarized signature
The mail-in checklist on Arizona's birth and death certificate requests offers a choice: a clear photocopy of the front and back of your valid, signed government photo ID, or have your signature notarized. The notary area on the form is headed “applicable only if no government-issued photo ID is available,” and the state's rules, A.A.C. R9-19-211 and R9-19-315, codify the either/or. Whichever you choose, you must also enclose proof of your relationship to the person on the record.
What the mailed application needs
Mailed application needs
Notarized signature or ID copy
Mail-in checklist on VS-11/VS-159: 'Clear photocopy of the front and back of your valid, signed government photo ID OR have your signature notarized.' The notary area is headed 'Applicable only if no government issued photo ID is available' and is an ACKNOWLEDGMENT ('who acknowledges that he/she signed the above document'). In every case you must also enclose proof of relationship/eligibility (birth certificates, certified court documents, marriage certificate, etc.), an original signature, a self-addressed stamped envelope and the fee. Government agencies submit an agency ID badge instead of a notary. A.A.C. R9-19-211(E)/R9-19-315(H) codify the 'notarized or photocopy of valid government-issued ID' choice.
Authority: A.R.S. §36-324 (certified copies to persons eligible under rules); A.A.C. R9-19-210 & R9-19-211 (birth eligibility and requests), R9-19-314 & R9-19-315 (death), R9-19-105 (fees)
Fees
- Birth certificate
- $20
- Death certificate
- $20
- Marriage certificate
- n/a (county Superior Court clerk)
Per certified copy; $30 for a correction/amendment; state office accepts money order, cashier's check or credit card (no personal checks, no cash by mail); mail to Bureau of Vital Records, PO Box 6018, Phoenix, AZ 85005; county vital-records offices also accept mail requests at the fees listed on page 2 of the form.
Arizona Department of Health Services – Bureau of Vital Records ↗
Official forms
- Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Birth Certificate · VS-11 (Revised 08/24/2026)Birth
- Bureau of Vital Records Request for Copy of Death Certificate · VS-159 (Revised 03/18/2026)Death
- Marriage records are held by the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county that issued the license, not by ADHSMarriage
Who may order a certified copy
- birth (A.A.C. R9-19-210(B)): the individual, if of legal age (18) or married/emancipated; a parent named on the record; spouse; grandparent; adult child; adult grandchild; adult brother or sister
- birth: the individual's guardian (certified guardianship order)
- birth: a person designated in a power of attorney established by the individual's parent or guardian under A.R.S. §14-5104 (valid 6 months) or §14-5107 (military parent, 12 months)
- birth: a court-appointed conservator (A.R.S. Title 14, ch. 5, art. 4)
- birth: a person designated in a court order; an attorney representing the individual, the parent or the guardian; a licensed adoption agency or private attorney in a pending adoption; a government agency for an official purpose
- birth: a child 16+ who is homeless or in DCS custody (A.R.S. §36-324(F))
- death (R9-19-314/315): funeral director within 12 months; spouse; parent; grandparent; adult child; adult grandchild; adult sibling; person designated in a power of attorney; person responsible for final disposition; executor or beneficiary of the estate (will); life-insurance beneficiary; person named in a court order; person authorized by an eligible person (letter + proof of that person's eligibility); attorney representing an eligible person; insurance company/financial institution/hospital with a claim; foreign consulate; government agency
How the mailed request works
Form VS-11 is the birth request and VS-159 the death request. You complete the record details, state your eligibility category and sign with an original signature. Then either attach the ID photocopy or have the notary complete the acknowledgment in the notary area. Add the eligibility documents the form lists for your category, a self-addressed stamped envelope and the $20 fee by money order, cashier's check or card; the state office does not take personal checks by mail.
County vital-records offices accept the same forms by mail with their own fee schedules printed on page two. Marriage certificates are not a vital-records matter in Arizona at all: the Clerk of the Superior Court in the county that issued the license holds them.
When the notary option is useful
The notarized signature exists for people without a usable photo ID, but it also suits anyone who would rather not mail a photocopy of their license. An online notarization satisfies it: the notary verifies your identity on video, you sign, and the acknowledgment is completed on the PDF you print and mail.
The notary area on form VS-11
Identical on the death request VS-159. An acknowledgment rather than a jurat.
Notary Area: applicable only if no government-issued photo ID is available
State of ______ County of ______
On this ___ day of ______, 20__, before me personally appeared ______ (name of signer), whose identity was proven to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person whose name is subscribed to this document, and who acknowledges that he/she signed the above document.
Notary signature ______ My commission expires: ______ (Affix seal/stamp here)
Government agencies submit an agency ID badge instead; everyone else chooses between the ID photocopy and this block.
Applying for someone else in Arizona
Birth: an agent under a POWER OF ATTORNEY qualifies only if the POA was granted by the registrant's parent or guardian under A.R.S. §14-5104/§14-5107 (delegation of parental powers) – enclose a copy of the POA, a signed application, ID copy or notarized signature, and the fee; a POA signed by an adult registrant is not a listed category. Conservators enclose the certified court order; guardians a certified (or temporary) guardianship order. An ATTORNEY representing the registrant, parent or guardian applies with a signed application or letterhead letter giving the bar number, the represented person and relationship, and documentation that the attorney was retained, and under R9-19-211(E) 'the request must be notarized or the applicant shall submit a photocopy of a valid government-issued identification'. Death records are broader: any 'person authorized by an eligible person' may apply with a letter from that eligible person plus proof of the eligible person's relationship (R9-19-314(B)); a POA holder encloses the POA; an attorney encloses a retainer agreement and proof of the client's eligibility (R9-19-315(H)).
Arizona's birth-record list in A.A.C. R9-19-210 is specific about powers of attorney: an agent qualifies when the POA was granted by the registrant's parent or guardian under A.R.S. §14-5104 or §14-5107, the delegation-of-parental-powers statutes, which run six months, or twelve for a deploying military parent. A POA signed by an adult registrant is not a listed category. Court-appointed conservators enclose the certified order; guardians a certified or temporary guardianship order; an attorney representing the registrant, a parent or a guardian applies with the bar number, the client's name and proof of retention.
Death records are broader. Any person authorized by an eligible person may apply with a letter from that person and proof of the eligible person's own relationship, a POA holder encloses the POA, and an attorney encloses the retainer and proof of the client's eligibility.
The power of attorney usually has to be notarized as well: see notarizing a power of attorney online. A notarized authorization letter is a short jurat or acknowledgment and takes one online session.
Common questions
- Does an Arizona birth certificate application have to be notarized?
- Not if you enclose a photocopy of both sides of your valid government photo ID. The notarized signature is the alternative for applicants without one, or who prefer not to mail an ID copy. In person, ID only.
- Can I get my adult child's Arizona birth certificate?
- Yes. A parent named on the record is eligible at any age of the registrant, as are the spouse, grandparents, adult children, adult grandchildren and adult siblings, each with proof of the relationship.
- Does a power of attorney let me order an Arizona birth certificate?
- Only a parental power of attorney under A.R.S. §14-5104 or §14-5107, granted by the child's parent or guardian. For an adult's record, Arizona looks for a conservatorship or guardianship order, an attorney, or a court order instead.
Sources
- ADHS Bureau of Vital Records – Vital Records home (Who Can Obtain / Apply tabs)
- VS-11 Request for Copy of Birth Certificate (Revised 08/24/2026)
- VS-159 Request for Copy of Death Certificate (Revised 03/18/2026)
- A.R.S. §36-324 (azleg.gov)
- Maricopa County Office of Vital Registration – Birth Certificate Eligibility (restates A.A.C. R9-19-210/211 with required documents)
Checked October 2026. Fees and forms change; confirm with the issuing office before mailing. General guidance, not legal advice.
Other states with a notary step
California
Notarized sworn statement
Texas
Notarized sworn statement
New York
ID copy, no notary
New York City
Notarized signature
Minnesota
Notarized signature
Iowa
Notarized signature
Montana
Notarized signature or ID copy
Wyoming
Notarized signature or ID copy
All 50 states in the vital records guide. The sworn statement glossary entry explains the notarial act these forms use.