memo
DATE: February 2023
TO: Whom it may concern
FROM: Minnesota Office of Vital Records
SUBJECT: Long form birth certificates
The State of Minnesota no longer issues long form birth certificates. For people born in 2001
and after, we issue official birth certificates that show the subject’s:
• first, middle, and last names
• date, time, and place of birth
• plurality (single, twin, triplet, etc.)
• sex
and the parents’
• full names and names at birth
• dates and places of birth
Official birth certificates for births prior to 2001 may not show all these items. (Minnesota
Statutes, section 144.225, subdivision 8 and Minnesota Rules, part 4601.2525, subpart 1). The
parents’ dates and places of birth may not be included on pre-2001 official birth certificates.
The State of Minnesota also provides noncertified birth records that have additional
information not shown on birth certificates, such as birth weight, delivery attendant, parents’
ages or dates of birth, parents’ places of birth, and signatures. However, the information
available on noncertified records for births before 2001 varies. Requesting an image of the
paper record for pre-2001 births provides the most information.
A birth certificate and non-certified birth record together will provide the complete information
available to the requestor from the Minnesota Department of Health regarding the subject’s
birth. If you have questions, please call 651-201-5970 or email
