How to Find Montana Birth Records
Montana statewide registration of births began in 1907 with general compliance by 1920.
Next Step: When did the birth occur? [edit | edit source] |
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Births before 1907[edit | edit source]
Before 1907, counties recorded a few births. Delayed birth records also exist. In most cases, you must search substitute records to locate your ancestor’s birth date and place.
| Records that give birth information: | ||
For births that exist during the time period, try the following online collection:
STEP ONE: Find Birth Information[edit | edit source]
| Montana Birth Databases - Includes Digital Images Only | ||||
| Montana County Births, 1840-2004 | FamilySearch - Free; browse image collection; incomplete; no index - images also available at Ancestry.com ($) or for FREE at Family History Libraries/Centers. | |||
| Montana, Birth Index, 1870-1986 | ($), or FREE at Family History Libraries/Centers. | |||
| Can't find your ancestor online in the index? | Tips for searching online indexes | |||
| No birth record for your ancestor? | Other records with birth information | |||
STEP TWO: Obtain the Record[edit | edit source]
With approximate birth years and places, you can locate birth records from the appropriate county court clerk. A list of counties is available online.
Delayed birth records are kept at the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services.
There are no restrictions on these records.
Births after 1907[edit | edit source]
Statewide registration of births began in 1907 in Montana. Currently, there are no online indexes to Montana births from 1907 to the present.
STEP ONE: Find Birth Information [edit | edit source]
| Montana Birth Databases - Includes Digital Images Only | ||||
| Montana County Births, 1840-2004 | FamilySearch - Free; browse image collection; incomplete; no index | |||
| Montana, Birth Index, 1870-1986 | ($), or FREE at Family History Libraries/Centers. | |||
| Montana Birth Databases - Includes Indexes and Digitized Images | ||||
| Montana, Birth Records, 1897-1919, index and images, ($) | ($), or FREE at Family History Libraries/Centers. | |||
| Can't find your ancestor online in the index? | Tips for searching online indexes | |||
| No birth record for your ancestor? | Other records with birth information | |||
STEP TWO: Obtain the Certificate[edit | edit source]
With full names, dates and places of an event, you can order a copy of the birth certificate for a fee from the Montana Department of Public Health & Human Services or VitalChek.
Restrictions for ordering Montana birth certificates:
To obtain a copy of the birth certificate, you must be:
- The person on the certificate 14 years or older
- The parent or grandparent of the person on the certificate
- The spouse of the person on the certificate
- The child of the person on the certificate
- The legal guardian of the person on the certificate
- Anyone who has legal interest in the certificate
- NOTE: A copy of the birth certificate cannot be obtained by anyone except those listed above.
If you do not want to order the birth record, there are other records with birth information you can search.
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