New Jersey Marriage, Death, Birth Records

Among the Mid-Atlantic states, New Jersey has the longest continuing run of statewide registration of births, marriages, and deaths, which began in May 1848. The New Jersey State Archives has these records with indexes through 1923 for births and through 1940 for marriages and deaths. For the period 1848 to 1878 there are consolidated indexes by event, but they vary in the type and amount of identifying detail they provide. There are also consolidated indexes for births and marriages, 1878-1903 (but for grooms only, 1901-03). All death indexes are arranged by place within the registration period July through June, with an alphabetical index for 1901-03. Since 1903, records are filed yearly in alphabetical order for each event, with marriages arranged by name of groom.

Like the other Mid-Atlantic States, New Jersey had a colonial law that provided for the recording of births, marriages, and deaths in town records from about the 1670s, but this was rarely followed, as was a later law of 1799. The only known early records are those for Woodbridge and Piscataway.

Other early public vital records include marriage bonds for the period 1711-95, available at the New Jersey State Archives. The originals often show additional information not included in the published version, such as the names of bondsmen, and although more rarely, a parents' consent for a minor, or a prior marriage. Marriages were also to be kept by the county clerks from 1795. Most of these are available in published books or on film at the state archives, which also has the originals for Atlantic (volume 1 missing), Cumberland, and Somerset counties. The originals for Middlesex County are in the Department of Special Collections and Archives, Alexander Library, Rutgers University. Individual books of marriage records have been published for Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Monmouth, and Salem counties. Others have been published in The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey (earliest records for Essex, Monmouth, and Morris) and the Somerset County Historical Quarterly (Somerset). At the state archives are some records of slave births that were mostly recorded in the counties in the early 1800s.

For the period 1743 to 1850, divorces in New Jersey were granted by the chancery court or act of the legislature and are available at the state archives. The original laws to the 1830s are on microfilm at the state archives and state library.

Choose A County in New Jersey

New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services, State Registrar Search Unit, PO Box 370, Trenton, NJ 08625-0370; (609) 292-4087, Fax: (609) 392-4292. It can take up to 4 months to get a vital record from New Jersey.

Vital records from May 1848 - May 1878 may be obtained from the State Archives. The Archives also holds microfilm copies of births from 1878-1923, marriages from 1879-1940 and deaths from 1878-1940. These materials are available for in-person use only.

• Birth, Marriage & Death Certificates:
  • Cost: Initial search and one certified copy or certification of the record or No Record Statement is $25.00 per certificate.
    Additional copies of the same record ordered at the same time are $2 are per copy
    Additional years searched (genealogy records only) are $1 per year.
    Make Check or Money Order payable to Treasurer, State of New Jersey. If no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires that we keep $25.00 for a searching fee. Please do not send cash in the mail.
  • Dates: from 1878 to the present
  • Processing Time: 14-16 weeks when ordered by MAIL or 2-5 Days when you order ELECTRONICALLY
• Divorce Certificates: Divorce records for 1900-1989 are kept by the Records Information Center of the State Superior Court. For records after 1989 contact the NJ County Court that issued the divorce decree.New Jersey divorce decrees are available through the Superior Court of New Jersey Records Center. For more information on obtaining a certified copy of a divorce decree, call the Records Center at: 609-777-0092
  • Cost: Include a fee of $10.00 per 10 year search per last name with request. Make check or money order payable to Clerk of the Superior Court. Superior Court of NJ, Public Information Ctr, 171 Jersey Street, CN 967, Trenton, NJ 08625-0967

Click Here to Search New Jersey Birth, Marriage & Death Records! - Birth, marriage, and death records are connected with central life events. They are prime sources for genealogical information. Look also for baptism, christening, and burial records in this collection.

Below is a list of online resources for New Jersey Vital Records.

• New Jersey Marriages, 1684-1895: This database update adds marriage records for Salem County, in addition to records for Warren County, Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Sussex, Hunterdon, and Somerset counties.
• New Jersey Marriages, Colonial Era, 1665-1800: In addition to the 45,000 names in this database, included is an historical introduction on the early marriage laws of New Jersey ,and the precedents on which they were founded.
• Search All U.S and Foriegn Birth, Marriage and Death Records
• Search U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• Search Obituary Collection
• Search the Social Security Death Index for FREE

Getting Copies of Genealogical Records Birth, Death, and Marriage

STEP 1
Identifying the genealogical record: You must be able to identify the record by providing, at minimum, the information listed below on the application form. You may also provide more exact or complete information, if you wish.  However, your request cannot be accepted unless you provide the minimum information below.

• Full name on the record
• City or county where the event occurred
• Year the event occurred

Acceptable Identification: You must provide acceptable ID in order to get a copy of any vital record.  The following are acceptable forms of ID:

• A current, valid photo driver's license or photo non-driver's license
  OR
• A current, valid driver’s license without photo and one alternate form of ID with current address
  OR
• Two alternate forms of ID, one of which must have current address.

Alternate forms of ID are:

• Vehicle registration
• Vehicle insurance card
• Passport
• Voter registration
• Green card/Immigrant visa
• Federal/County ID
• School ID
• Court documents
• W-2 for current/previous tax year
• Utility/bank statement from within the last 90 days

Please do not send in original ID documents. Only copies are required.

Proof of Relationship: Proof of relationship is not required if you are asking for a certification, which is an uncertified informational copy of the vital record not valid for establishing identity or legal purposes.  However, you must still provide proof of identity when requesting a certification.

To get a certified copy of a person’s genealogical vital record, you must provide proof of your relationship to the person listed on the record and the proof must establish you are one of the following:

• The subject of the record
• The subject’s parent, legal guardian or legal representative
• The subject’s spouse/civil union partner; child, grandchild or sibling, if of legal age
• A state or federal agency for official purposes
• Pursuant to court order

See the How to Prove Relationship tips at the bottom of this page for information on how to prove your relationship. This is a key requirement to getting a certified copy of a vital record. Failure to provide proof of relationship is the number one reason applications must be rejected.

Payment of fees: Fees for copies of vital records issued by the Local Registrar’s Office vary by municipality. Please contact the specific office to learn more.

The State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration charges $25 for the first copy of a vital record and $2 for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Additional years can be searched for genealogical applications at a fee of $1 for each additional year searched.

Applications mailed to the State may be paid by check or money order made payable to: “Treasurer, State of New Jersey.”  Applications made to the municipal office should be made payable to the municipality. We cannot accept credit card payment by mail.  Also, please do not send cash through the mail.  Our authorized vendor, VitalChek, can accept credit cards. Please see the following information about submitting your application. 

STEP 2
There are several ways to get a copy of a vital record:

• Expedited Service -- Mail, Phone, Fax or Internet Orders: Use our vendor VitalChek. Your document will be shipped faster than if you apply in writing to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration.  Once your order is received by VitalChek it is usually processed and your documents returned within 25 business days. There is an additional $10.95 processing fee for this service, and you will need a credit card, check or money order to place your order. You can go directly to the VitalChek web site now to place your order.  The website will walk you through the process.  You will not have to return to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration web page.
• Non-expedited Service -- Mail Orders Only: Genealogical records by mail from the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration are typically processed within 14 to 16 weeks. You can mail your completed "Application for a Certification or Certified Copy of a Vital Record" (Birth, Marriage, Civil Union, Domestic Partnership, or Death Certificate) [pdf 54k*] [doc 47k] to the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration or to the Local Registrar in the city or town where the vital event took place. The records you requested can only be sent to the address listed on your identification documents.
  
  • For a Local Registrar, call the Registrar’s office first for information on processing times and fees. (This service is currently not available in Jersey City for births.  You must order Jersey City birth records from the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration.)
  • For the State Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration, mail to:
    Bureau of Vital Statistics and Registration
    Customer Service Unit – Non-Genealogical Requests
    PO Box 370
    Trenton, NJ 08625-0370

Regardless of the where you place your order you will have to send with your application:

• all required copies of ID establishing your identity
• copies of documents proving your relationship to the person named on the record and
• the correct fee.

Your application will be returned if you do not send in all required information.