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Vital records · Montana

Montana birth certificate by mail: ID copy or notarized application

The Montana Office of Vital Records puts it in one line: include a photocopy of your valid ID, front and back, or have your application notarized. The notary block on the form, headed “Verification of signer's ID is mandatory,” is a jurat, and applications that arrive with neither the ID copy nor the notarization are returned. The office does not accept applications by email, which is why the mailed form and its notary option matter.

A Montana notarized statement form with a seal and an ID card, beside the outline of Montana with a mountain range

What the mailed application needs

Mailed application needs

Notarized signature or ID copy

DPHHS: 'Include a photocopy of your valid ID, front and back, or have your application notarized.' Form: 'The person signing the request must provide an enlarged legible photocopy of both sides of their valid driver's license or other legal picture identification with a signature or the requestor must have this application notarized.' The notary block is a JURAT ('signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me') headed 'Verification of Signer's ID is Mandatory'. If no photo ID, two other IDs (one with a signature) may be used instead. Requests missing ID/notarization are returned; applications are not accepted by email.

Authority: MCA §50-15-121 (certified copies; registrant, spouse, children, parents, guardian or authorized representative; death copies to any person); ARM 37.8.126 (access to records)

Fees

Birth certificate
$16
Death certificate
$16
Marriage certificate
n/a (county Clerk of District Court)

Per certified or informational copy, effective September 21, 2024; non-refundable; checks payable to Montana Vital Records; mail to Montana Vital Records, PO Box 4210, Helena, MT 59604-4210 (406-444-2685); apostille $10 to Secretary of State separately.

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services – Office of Vital Records ↗

Official forms

Who may order a certified copy

  • birth (MCA 50-15-121; ARM 37.8.126): the registrant
  • the registrant's spouse, children, parents, grandparents
  • a caretaker relative (with a medical authorization affidavit), guardian (proof of guardianship), or an authorized representative of the registrant or of the registrant's spouse, child, parent or legal guardian (proof of authorization)
  • any person who provides documentation showing the record is needed for the determination or protection of the individual's personal or property rights
  • excluded for certified birth copies: step-relatives, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, ex-spouses, and a natural parent of an adoptive child; informational copies available to anyone 30 years after the birth
  • death: 'Complete copies of a certified death certificate will be issued to anyone who submits a completed application, establishes their identity, and lists the reason for needing the copy' (MCA 50-15-121(4))

How the mailed application works

The birth and death applications ask for the record, your relationship and the reason you need it. The person signing must provide an enlarged, legible photocopy of both sides of a driver's license or other photo ID bearing a signature, or have the application notarized. Without photo ID, two other identity documents, one carrying a signature, are accepted. Add the $16 fee by check payable to Montana Vital Records and mail to the office in Helena.

County clerk and recorder offices issue the same certificates by mail under the same rule, and most are faster than the state office. The county applications we index are listed below. Marriage certificates come from the Clerk of District Court in the county that issued the license.

Birth records are closed, death records are not

MCA 50-15-121 restricts certified birth copies to the registrant, their spouse, children, parents and grandparents, a guardian, a caretaker relative with a medical authorization affidavit, or an authorized representative of one of those people; step-relatives, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins and former spouses are excluded, and informational copies open to everyone thirty years after the birth. Death certificates are different: a complete certified copy goes to anyone who submits an application, establishes identity and states a reason.

The notary block on the Montana application

From the Birth Certificate Mail-In Application; the death application carries the identical block.

Notary (for use if needed): Verification of signer's ID is mandatory

State of ______   County of ______

This record was signed and sworn to (or affirmed) before me on ______ (date) by ______ (name of applicant).

______ (Notary's signature)   (Official stamp)

A jurat: you swear or affirm the application in front of the notary, who must verify your identity.

Applying for someone else in Montana

Notarized authorization letterLegal guardian (with papers)Court orderPower of attorney

MCA 50-15-121(1) and ARM 37.8.126(3) allow 'an authorized representative of the registrant, or an authorized representative of the spouse, child, parent, or legal guardian of a registrant, upon establishing their identity to the satisfaction of the certifying official'. The form adds: 'Proof of relationship, guardianship, caretaker relative, or authorization is required to obtain a certified copy of a birth record.' Neither the statute nor the rule prescribes the form of 'authorization' – in practice a written authorization signed by the entitled person (several county clerks ask for the original, notarized) or a power of attorney, plus proof of the authorizing person's own relationship; a guardian encloses the court order. Lawyers are not called out separately; an attorney acts as an 'authorized representative' of the client. Death certificates need no third-party authority at all – anyone with ID and a stated reason may order.

Montana's statute and rule admit “an authorized representative of the registrant, or of the registrant's spouse, child, parent or legal guardian, upon establishing their identity to the satisfaction of the certifying official,” and the form adds that proof of relationship, guardianship, caretaker status or authorization is required. Neither the statute nor the rule prescribes what the authorization must look like. In practice offices accept a written authorization signed by the entitled person, several county clerks ask for it in original and notarized, or a power of attorney, together with proof of the authorizing person's own relationship to the registrant. A guardian encloses the court order.

Because the form of authorization is not published, call the Office of Vital Records before mailing if you are applying as a representative. Death certificates need no third-party authority at all.

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.

County and city application forms in Montana

Local registrars and county clerks issue the same certificates and publish their own application forms. These are the ones in our index, each with the PDF, the office’s instructions and a one-click path to an online notarization.

Forms with a notary block

Forms without a notary block

More local forms on the Montana page.

Notarize your Montana application online

Upload the completed application, meet a licensed online notary on video, swear and sign. The notarized PDF arrives by email in about 15 minutes, ready to print and mail with your ID copy and fee.

Common questions

Does a Montana birth certificate application have to be notarized?
Only if you do not enclose an enlarged photocopy of both sides of your photo ID. The notarized application is the alternative; one or the other must be in the envelope or the office returns the request.
Can anyone order a Montana death certificate?
Yes. Under MCA 50-15-121 a complete certified death certificate is issued to anyone who completes the application, establishes identity and lists a reason for needing the copy.
Can I apply for my mother's Montana birth certificate on her behalf?
Yes, as her authorized representative, with a written authorization from her or a power of attorney, plus proof of her entitlement and your own identity. Confirm the exact document the office wants before mailing.

Sources

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

Arizona

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.

Need this notarized?

Upload the application, verify your ID, and sign with a licensed online notary in about 15 minutes.