Registrar of Vital Statistics

Marriage licenses, civil union licenses and processing domestic partnership applications are by appointment only. You apply for a license in the NJ town you reside in. 

Call Maria Moeller at 973-270-2040 to set-up an appointment.

Vital Records

 Lincoln Park Health Department Vital Statistics and Registration maintains birth, marriage, and death records from August 1922 to the present. Domestic Partnership records are available from 2004 to present.


The Office of Vital Statistics and Registry registers vital events and maintains the following vital records:

  • Birth, marriage and death records starting at 1914
  • Domestic partnership records starting at 2004
  • Civil union records starting at 2007
  • Adoptions – foreign and domestic
  • Certificate of Birth Resulting in Stillbirth data starting at 1969

Vital Records are available in the town the event occurred. They are also available from the state https://www.nj.gov/health/vital/order-vital/.

 For information about vital records from May 1848 – 1913 visit the State, Archives web page. The Archives also holds microfilm copies of births from 1901-1923, marriages from 1901-1940 and deaths from 1901-1940. These materials are available for in-person use only.


Requesting Records

When ordering a copy of a vital record you must first determine the type of copy that will meet your needs.


Types of copies:
 

  • Certified copies have the raised seal of the office issuing the record and are always issued on State of New Jersey safety paper. Certified copies may be used to establish identity and are legal documents.
      
  • Certifications are issued on plain paper with no seal and clearly indicate they are not valid for establishing identity or for legal purposes. Certifications are generally only useful for genealogy. Certifications of death records do not contain the Social Security Number or the Cause of Death medical terminology.
     
  • Getting an Apostille Seal – An Apostille Seal is an additional seal required for certain certified records that will be presented to a foreign government that is a member of the Hague Treaty.  Also, the seal is often required on documents for international adoptions or establishing dual citizenship. Contact the consulate of the country involved to determine if you need an Apostille Seal.
     
    To get a record with an Apostille Seal, first obtain a certified copy of the vital record from the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. Indicate on your application that it will need an Apostille Seal, and you will receive a certified copy of the vital record with the original signature of the State Registrar or Assistant State Registrar. You must forward this document to the New Jersey Department of Treasury, which issues the Apostille Seal.

To get a copy of a vital record, you must submit:

  • A completed application
  • A copy of the proof(s) of your identity
  • The correct fee - $15 per copy
  • Proof of your relationship to the person listed on the vital record you are requesting (Only required for certified copies)


  • Certified copies have the raised seal of the office issuing the record and are always issued on State of New Jersey safety paper. Certified copies may be used to establish identity and are legal documents.
     
  • Certifications are issued on plain paper with no seal and clearly indicate they are not valid for establishing identity or for legal purposes. Certifications are generally only useful for genealogy. Certifications of death records do not contain the Social Security Number or the Cause of Death medical terminology.

  • Getting an Apostille Seal – An Apostille Seal is an additional seal required for certain certified records that will be presented to a foreign government that is a member of the Hague Treaty.  Also, the seal is often required on documents for international adoptions or establishing dual citizenship. Contact the consulate of the country involved to determine if you need an Apostille Seal.

    To get a record with an Apostille Seal, first obtain a certified copy of the vital record from the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. Indicate on your application that it will need an Apostille Seal, and you will receive a certified copy of the vital record with the original signature of the State Registrar or Assistant State Registrar. You must forward this document to the New Jersey Department of Treasury, which issues the Apostille Seal.

To get a copy of a vital record, you must submit:

  • A completed application
  • A copy of the proof(s) of your identity
  • The correct fee
  • Proof of your relationship to the person listed on the vital record you are requesting (Only required for certified copies)
  • Certified copies have the raised seal of the office issuing the record and are always issued on State of New Jersey safety paper. Certified copies may be used to establish identity and are legal documents.
     
  • Certifications are issued on plain paper with no seal and clearly indicate they are not valid for establishing identity or for legal purposes. Certifications are generally only useful for genealogy. Certifications of death records do not contain the Social Security Number or the Cause of Death medical terminology.

  • Getting an Apostille Seal – An Apostille Seal is an additional seal required for certain certified records that will be presented to a foreign government that is a member of the Hague Treaty.  Also, the seal is often required on documents for international adoptions or establishing dual citizenship. Contact the consulate of the country involved to determine if you need an Apostille Seal.

    To get a record with an Apostille Seal, first obtain a certified copy of the vital record from the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. Indicate on your application that it will need an Apostille Seal, and you will receive a certified copy of the vital record with the original signature of the State Registrar or Assistant State Registrar. You must forward this document to the New Jersey Department of Treasury, which issues the Apostille Seal.

To get a copy of a vital record, you must submit:

  • A completed application
  • A copy of the proof(s) of your identity
  • The correct fee
  • Proof of your relationship to the person listed on the vital record you are requesting (Only required for certified copies)
  • Certified copies have the raised seal of the office issuing the record and are always issued on State of New Jersey safety paper. Certified copies may be used to establish identity and are legal documents.
     
  • Certifications are issued on plain paper with no seal and clearly indicate they are not valid for establishing identity or for legal purposes. Certifications are generally only useful for genealogy. Certifications of death records do not contain the Social Security Number or the Cause of Death medical terminology.

  • Getting an Apostille Seal – An Apostille Seal is an additional seal required for certain certified records that will be presented to a foreign government that is a member of the Hague Treaty.  Also, the seal is often required on documents for international adoptions or establishing dual citizenship. Contact the consulate of the country involved to determine if you need an Apostille Seal.

    To get a record with an Apostille Seal, first obtain a certified copy of the vital record from the Office of Vital Statistics and Registry. Indicate on your application that it will need an Apostille Seal, and you will receive a certified copy of the vital record with the original signature of the State Registrar or Assistant State Registrar. You must forward this document to the New Jersey Department of Treasury, which issues the Apostille Seal.

To get a copy of a vital record, you must submit:

  • A completed application
  • A copy of the proof(s) of your identity
  • The correct fee
  • Proof of your relationship to the person listed on the vital record you are requesting (Only required for certified copies)