Birth, Death, Military & Marriage Certificate

Certificates

The Merced County Recorder’s Office maintains vital records for Births, Deaths, and Marriages in Merced County. The fees for certified copies are listed below and these fees are nonrefundable. If a record is not found, a Certificate of No Record will be issued.

The following documents are available from our office:

• Marriage certificates from approximately 1850 to present (Confidential marriage licenses are available through the County Clerk)
• Birth certificates from approximately 1870 to present
• Death certificates from approximately 1890 to present

Obtaining a Copy of a Certificate

For orders by mail, you may pay by cash or money order made payable to Merced County Recorder. The following forms of payment are available at our office only: cash, money order, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and debit card. The cost for certified copies are:

The Merced County Recorder’s Office does not accept online orders; however, for your convenience, you can process online requests through an independent company that we have partnered with to provide you this service: VitalChek Network, Inc. VitalChek can be reached through its website, www.vitalchek.com. An additional fee of $12.95 is charged by VitalChek for using this service and all major credit cards are accepted including American Express, Discover, or MasterCard.

Marriage Certificates

The following information must be provided to obtain a copy of a marriage certificate:

• Application for Certified Copy of a Marriage Record 
  • Aplicacion Para Obtener Una Acta Certificada de Matrimonio 

Birth, Death, Military Record

In an attempt to stop the illegal use of vital records, and as part of statewide efforts to reduce identity theft, a new law (effective January 1, 2010) changed the way certified copies of birth certificates are issued. Certified Copies to establish the identity of a registrant can be issued only to authorized individuals as indicated below. All others will be issued Certified Informational Copies that are not valid to establish identity.

To get certified copies of birth, death, or military discharge certificates, fill out the appropriate form, have it notarized and mail the notarized copy to our office with your payment. Certified copies can also be obtained by completing a request in our office. Paper forms are not accepted in the office.

• Application for Certified Copy of a Birth Record
  • Aplicación para Obtener una Copia Certificada de Nacimiento 
• Application for Certified Copy of a Death Record 
  • Aplicación para Obtener una Copia Certificada de Defunción
• Application for Certified Copy of DD Form 214 (Military Discharge Certificate)
• Credit Card Authorization form for Copies of Official Records
• Credit Card Authorization form - General

Mailing Address

Recorder’s Office
2222 M St., Main Floor
Merced, CA 95340