How Birth Certificates Work in Arkansas

The Arkansas Department of Health's Office of Vital Records issues the state's birth certificates, and the department notes on its birth records page that it offers vital records services in every county, publishing a list of local public health units. That matters because a local unit can issue a certificate as readily as the state office in Little Rock, which sits on West Markham Street opposite War Memorial Stadium and opens on weekdays from eight in the morning until five in the afternoon.

The fee is twelve dollars for the first copy of a birth record and ten dollars for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time. Where no record is found or no copy is made, state law requires the department to keep twelve dollars as a search fee, so an inaccurate date or name has a price. Eligibility is set out in a published list of eligible individuals, which the department asks applicants to check before ordering. Local offices that issue vital records appear on the Arkansas county pages.

  • Twelve dollars, then ten: the first copy and each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time.
  • Twelve dollars kept on a failed search: state law requires the department to retain that amount where no record is found.
  • A counter in every county: vital records services are offered through local public health units as well as the Little Rock office.
  • Same day before four: most routine requests are fulfilled the same day for customers arriving by four in the afternoon.

Written by SearchSystems.net from Arkansas's own systems: the Arkansas Department of Health page on ordering birth records, the department's certificates and records pages, the birth certificate application form, the department's vital records support page, each read on October 15, 2026 by the SearchSystems editorial team.

The four ways to order

Online ordering runs through the department's own service, offers several expedited shipping options, and takes debit or credit cards, with requests typically taking seven to fourteen business days from the date the order is approved, plus shipping time. A postal order uses the application available from the department or a local health unit, enclosing a cheque or money order payable to the Arkansas Department of Health, with no cash and no temporary cheques, together with copies of acceptable identification, sent to the vital records office at Slot 44 on West Markham Street; the department asks applicants to allow ten to fourteen days for processing on top of postal delivery.

A walk in can be made at a local health unit or at the Little Rock office. And a telephone order can be placed on the department's toll free number, again with expedited shipping options and card payment.

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The four o'clock rule, and what it does not cover

At the counter, most certificate requests can be fulfilled the same day for customers arriving by four in the afternoon, provided they are eligible to receive the certificate and have all the required information, including acceptable identification. Four categories are expressly excluded from that promise: certificate corrections, court orders, paternity affidavits, and genealogical requests for records before 1935. Anyone arriving after four may collect the certificate the following day or ask for it to be posted.

Walk in payment may be made in cash, by credit or debit card, or by cheque or money order payable to the department, with temporary cheques not permitted.

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What online ordering adds

Ordering online is the quickest route for someone who cannot reach a counter, but it carries two extra charges: a five dollar standard processing fee and a one dollar eighty five identity verification fee, the latter expressly non refundable, on top of any expedited shipping chosen. The department is clear about what happens if the search fails: the twelve dollar search fee is retained as state law requires, the online processing fee is also non refundable, and any other amount paid is refunded.

For a requester whose details are uncertain, that makes it worth confirming the name and date before paying, or using a counter where staff can search while they wait.

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The forms Arkansas publishes

The department publishes a longer set of forms than most states, each in English and Spanish where relevant: the birth certificate application, the application to amend a birth certificate, the application for a certificate of birth resulting in stillbirth, the eligible individuals list for ordering birth certificates, the vital records authorization form, and the requirements for acceptable identification. One form is worth knowing about in particular: a request for a veteran's free copy of a birth certificate, which lets a qualifying veteran obtain the document without the usual fee.

Anyone unsure whether they are entitled to order should read the eligible individuals list first, since eligibility and identification are the two things that stop an Arkansas application.

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Checking on an order, and getting help

The department runs a check order status service that takes a confirmation number, which is the quickest way to find out where a request has reached without telephoning. Questions about registering, amending or obtaining copies of vital records go to the office's email address, with office hours on weekdays from eight until five excluding state holidays, and a separate online form exists for technical difficulties with the ordering system.

For an amendment, the department's separate application to amend a birth certificate is the route, and because amendments are excluded from same day service they should be posted or lodged with time in hand.

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Older records and genealogy

Genealogical requests for records before 1935 are among the categories the department excludes from same day counter service, which signals where its modern register effectively begins for research purposes. For family history work, that means allowing time and, where possible, supplying the county and the parents' names so that the search can be narrowed. The twelve dollar search fee applies to a genealogical request as to any other, and is retained if nothing is found, so a researcher working through several possible years should expect to pay for each attempt rather than for a single open ended search.

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Questions about Arkansas birth certificates

What does an Arkansas birth certificate cost?
Twelve dollars for the first copy and ten dollars for each additional copy of the same record ordered at the same time, with online orders adding a five dollar processing fee and a one dollar eighty five identity verification fee.
What happens if the record is not found?
State law requires the department to keep twelve dollars as a search fee, and the online processing fee is also non refundable, although any other amount paid is refunded.
Can I get a certificate the same day?
Yes for most routine requests if you arrive by four in the afternoon with the required information and acceptable identification; not for corrections, court orders, paternity affidavits or genealogical requests before 1935.
Where can I order in person?
At any local public health unit, since the department offers vital records services in every county, or at its vital records office on West Markham Street in Little Rock.
How long do postal and online orders take?
Postal orders take ten to fourteen days for processing plus delivery; online orders typically take seven to fourteen business days from approval plus shipping.
Is there a free copy for veterans?
The department publishes a request form for a veteran's free copy of a birth certificate alongside its other application forms.

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Arkansas's other records guides on this site are the Arkansas public records law guide for the Freedom of Information Act, the Arkansas death records guide for the same office, the Arkansas court records guide for the judiciary's case search, and the Arkansas county pages for every county office.