Vital records · Wyoming
Wyoming birth certificate by mail: the notarized statement of identification
Wyoming is a closed-record state: birth records open to the public only after 100 years, death, marriage and divorce records after 50. Its mail-in request, Form 1a, asks for a photocopy of a valid government photo ID with a signature, then adds that a notarized signature on the front of the form may take the place of an ID. The Department of Health also publishes a separate Notarized Statement for Requesting Copy of a Wyoming Certificate for the same purpose. One form is always notarized: the Excessive Copies form, required once four or more certified birth copies have been requested in a lifetime.
What the mailed application needs
Mailed application needs
Notarized signature or ID copy
Form 1a: 'The requestor must include a photocopy of a valid government issued picture identification that includes a permanent signature with their request. IDs less than 60 days expired are still acceptable ... A notarized signature on the front of this form may take the place of an ID.' The front of the form has a box 'ATTACH PHOTOCOPY OF A VALID GOVERNMENT ISSUED ID HERE ... OR Provide notary information here.' Alternatively attach the separate 'Notarized Statement for Requesting Copy of a Wyoming Certificate', a JURAT ('Subscribed and Sworn to before me'). Also required: a self-addressed stamped envelope and a bank-personalized check on the requester's own account (or money order) payable to Vital Statistics Services. The Excessive Copies form must always be notarized.
Authority: W.S. §35-1-424 (disclosure of vital records; closed records)
Fees
- Birth certificate
- $25
- Death certificate
- $25 first copy, $20 each additional copy (per request)
- Marriage certificate
- $25
Per certified copy; search fee $30 per 5 years (includes one copy if found; death search $35); check must be bank-personalized on the requester's account or money order payable to Vital Statistics Services (cash accepted but not recommended); include SASE; mail to Vital Statistics Services, 2300 Capitol Avenue, Hathaway Building, Cheyenne, WY 82002 (307-777-7591, [email protected]). Online portal wyomingvitalrecords.wyo.gov adds a card convenience fee.
Wyoming Department of Health – Vital Records Services (formerly Vital Statistics Services) ↗
Official forms
- Request for Certified Copy of a Wyoming Vital Record – Birth · WDH_VSS Application for Certified Copy Form 1a – 2024 (Birth)Birth
- Request for Certified Copy of a Wyoming Vital Record – Death · Form 1a – 2024 (Death)Death
- Request for Certified Copy of a Wyoming Vital Record – Marriage/Divorce · Form 1a – 2024 (Marriage-Divorce)Marriage
- Notarized Statement for Requesting Copy of a Wyoming Certificate (Notarized Statement of Identification) · WDH-VRS-Notarized-Statement-of-Identification-Form-2026Birth, death, marriage
- Excessive Copies Form (required, and must be notarized, once 4+ certified birth copies have been requested in a lifetime) · WDH_VSS Excessive Copies Form 1 – 2022Birth
Who may order a certified copy
- birth: the registrant, if of legal age (18+); an unemancipated minor with a signed affidavit
- birth: either parent named on the certificate
- birth: legal guardian with a certified copy of the guardianship papers (obtained from a court)
- birth: a lawyer representing either the registrant or the parent(s) (must demonstrate the requirement for the certificate)
- marriage/divorce: either party named on the certificate; a lawyer representing either party
- death: immediate family members (parent, current spouse, child); a lawyer representing the immediate family; a bank, executor of the estate, insurance company or anyone requiring the certificate to pay a policy or death benefit; in some cases individuals or organizations determining a personal or property right
- Wyoming is a closed-record state: records open to the public 100 years after birth / 50 years after marriage, divorce or death
How the mailed request works
There is a Form 1a for birth, one for death and one for marriage and divorce. The front has a box: attach a photocopy of a valid government-issued ID here, or provide notary information here. Complete the record details, sign, and either glue in the ID copy or have the notary complete the block, or attach the stand-alone notarized statement. Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope and the $25 fee by money order or a bank-personalized check drawn on your own account; the office specifically asks for that.
Mail to Vital Records Services in the Hathaway Building in Cheyenne. The online portal is an alternative with a card fee. Wyoming county clerks do not issue certified vital records; the state office is the only source.
Who may have copies
Form 1a prints a table. Birth: the registrant at eighteen, an unemancipated minor with a signed affidavit, either parent named on the certificate, a legal guardian with certified guardianship papers, or a lawyer representing the registrant or a parent who demonstrates the need. Marriage and divorce: either party or their lawyer. Death: immediate family, meaning a parent, current spouse or child, their lawyer, and banks, executors, insurers and others who need the certificate to pay a benefit. In some cases individuals or organizations determining a personal or property right may be authorized; the department points to its website for those exceptions.
The Notarized Statement of Identification
The stand-alone form WDH-VRS Notarized Statement of Identification (2026), which may be attached to Form 1a in place of the ID photocopy.
Notarized Statement for Requesting Copy of a Wyoming Certificate
Name(s) on certificate: ______ Date of request: ______
Signature of requestor ______ Printed name of requestor ______ Street address, city, state and zip ______
The requestor appeared before me with acceptable identification and/or evidence, or is personally known to me, swore to or affirmed, and signed the foregoing statement.
Subscribed and sworn to before me on this date: ______, in the State of ______, County of ______. Signature of Notary Public ______ My commission expires ______ (SEAL)
A jurat that doubles as the identity check. It substitutes for the ID copy; it is not an authorization for someone else to apply.
Applying for someone else in Wyoming
Form 1a's 'Who May Have Copies' table recognises a 'Lawyer representing either the registrant or the parent(s)' (birth), 'either party' (marriage) or 'the immediate family' (death), each marked '* The applicant must demonstrate the requirement for the certificate' (i.e. state the representation and purpose; no separate attorney form is published), and a 'Legal guardian with certified copy of the guardianship papers'. Powers of attorney and notarized authorization letters are not mentioned on the forms or the orders page; the only broader opening is 'in some cases, individuals or organizations may be authorized to obtain a certificate when determining a personal or property right' – 'please refer to our website for more information on possible exceptions'. The notarized statement form is an IDENTITY substitute for the requester, not an authorization device.
Wyoming's forms recognize a lawyer representing the registrant or parent, a legal guardian with certified guardianship papers, and, for death records, the people who need the certificate to pay a benefit. Powers of attorney and authorization letters are not mentioned on Form 1a or the department's ordering page. The notarized statement is a way for the requester to prove who they are, not a way to send someone in their place.
If you are helping a relative who cannot apply themselves, the realistic options are a guardianship, a lawyer, or the department's unpublished exceptions for personal or property rights, for which you should write to the office before mailing.
Common questions
- Does a Wyoming birth certificate application have to be notarized?
- Not if you attach a photocopy of a valid government photo ID with a signature. A notarized signature on Form 1a, or the separate Notarized Statement of Identification, is accepted instead of the ID copy. The Excessive Copies form, needed after four lifetime birth copies, must always be notarized.
- Why does Wyoming want a bank-personalized check?
- The office asks for a money order or a check printed with the requester's name and drawn on their own account, as a further identity check. Starter checks and third-party checks are not accepted.
- Can I order a Wyoming birth certificate for my brother?
- Not as a sibling: birth copies go to the registrant, a parent, a guardian or a lawyer. If your brother can sign, he applies himself and can have the certificate mailed to his own address; otherwise a guardianship or a lawyer is the route.
Sources
- WDH – Orders (how to order certificates by mail)
- WDH – Vital Statistics Forms
- Form 1a – 2024 Request for Certified Copy of a Wyoming Vital Record (Birth)
- Form 1a – 2024 (Death)
- Notarized Statement of Identification Form 2026
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
Montana
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.