Welcome to the British Columbia birth certificate application page of VitalCertificates.ca.
Required to establish legal identity, obtain a Canadian passport, apply for a health card, driver’s license, social insurance number, enroll in school, settle an estate or access pension benefits, British Columbia birth certificates can be ordered by proceeding to step 1 below.
No more than two of each version of certificate will be issued by the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency.
- Complete, print and sign the application form
- Fax, scan and email or mail your completed and signed form
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Scan & Email: bc@expresslegal.caFax: 1-866-265-6300Mail: Express Legal
- Receive your certificate by mail or courier
Who Can Apply for a British Columbia Birth Certificate With This Application?
This site is available for use by the legal profession and general public to obtain British Columbia Government approved and official certificates of birth issued by the government agency as an independent authorized agent.
A BC birth certificate may be released to:
- The person who is the subject of the certificate; or
- A parent of the person who is subject to the certificate, if that person is less than 19 years of age or incapable; or
- A custodial guardian if no parent under paragraph (b) is capable (Custodial guardians must provide a copy of guardianship papers);
Fees & Processing Times
If you are applying for a British Columbia birth certificate to support an application for other identification such as a Passport, Driver’s License etc., please check with the issuing agency to ensure you obtain the correct certificate. Changes cannot be made once an order has been placed.
Payment can be made by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, cheque or money order – Please make cheque or money order payable to “ExpressLegal”
Certificates ordered with regular service average 15 business days to be processed and delivered.
Certificates ordered with rush service average 5 to 8 business days to be processed and delivered. Applications processed using the rush service are processed within 48 hours and mailed (not couriered).
Service times listed above are approximations and are not guaranteed. Incomplete or inaccurate applications will significantly delay processing time.
- Birth Certificate – $80.00 each
- Photocopy of Birth Registration – $100.00 each
- Rush Service – $38.00 additional courier cost (includes multiple certificates)
Fees include all taxes, search, shipping and processing charges.
If no record of the birth is found by the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency, fees will be applied to the search cost and will not be refunded by the Agency.
All birth certificates in BC are mailed or couriered directly from the BC Vital Statistics Agency.
British Columbia Family Information Birth Certificate
The Family Information Birth Certificate contains the individual’s full name, birth date, birth place, gender, parents’ names, parents’ birth places, registration number, and registration date.
British Columbia Individual Information Birth Certificate
The Individual Information Birth Certificate contains the individual’s full name, birth date, birth place, gender, registration number, and registration date.
Photocopy of British Columbia Birth Registration
This a photocopy of the actual birth registration as filled in by the parents. It is legally the most complete document. The photocopy is certified as true copy of the original.
NOTE: Certified copies are rarely needed by citizens and are, by law, for restricted use only. They are generally only required for court or consulate purposes. They are not recommended for use as identification.
New Security-Enhanced BC Birth Certificates
On January 2nd, 2008, British Columbia introduced a new, more secure and durable birth certificate. The new BC certificate is made of high-security plastic, making it extremely durable and enabling more than 20 security features. The previous paper BC birth certificates are no longer available.
Although there is no requirement to do so at this time, British Columbian born residents may order a new format birth certificate. While the old BC certificates will not be invalidated, in some instances, where identity security is of utmost importance, citizens may be asked by other agencies to provide the new more secure document as proof of identity or citizenship. The British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency will not exchange a pre-2008 certificate free of charge.
The new British Columbia birth certificate is 125 mm wide by 176 mm high. A wallet size birth certificate is no longer available.
It is designed to discourage people from carrying it in their wallet or purse (thousands of birth certificates are reported lost or stolen every month).
The stock for the new document is high security polymer (plastic).
The certificate has:
- Two transparent windows — one with a colour shifting property and one with three floating maple leaves; unique watermark/shadow features — maple leaves; Canada geese;
- Thread feature containing the word “CANADA” repeated;
- Tactile printing similar to that found on Canadian currency;
- Colour shifting window with the word “CANADA” in three waves below the clear window containing the maple leaves (purple/green); and
- Contains the provincial/territorial coat of arms in colour with the jurisdiction’s seal and a signature.
- The new design also contains certain forensic features that assist authorities in determining the validity of the document.
- The individual information birth certificate contains the individual’s name, date of birth, place of birth and sex.
Do You Require the Status of Your Submitted Application?
If you have not received your ordered birth certificate within the time expected, please call 1-250-952-2681.
It is important to us that your privacy is protected and the personal information you provide us is collected, used and disclosed only for the purposes of that which you have authorized us. The information provided to us in your application is collected, used and disclosed solely for the purpose of requesting the documents which you require from the respective government agencies. Your personal information will only be submitted to the agency to which you directly authorize us to do so at the time your application is submitted. All information submitted is strictly confidential and will not be passed on in any other form for any commercial purpose. Download Our Privacy Policy.
