The Bureau of Vital Records offers a comprehensive suite of official applications and forms to help you obtain, correct, or update important legal documents. Whether you are seeking a birth certificate, establishing paternity, correcting a vital record, or other important tasks, this page provides essential resources and guidance for accessing and managing your critical vital records needs.

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General Applications

Applications, most requiring notarization, collect information necessary to search for vital records and ensure applicants possess a legal right to the requested records.

General Affidavits

Affidavits are legal documents in the form of a written statement, most requiring notarization, and are confirmed by affirmation and used for various purposes including, but not limited to, correcting errors contained in registered vital records. When using affidavits to correct records, per 19 CSR 10-10, only specific individuals are authorized to make changes to vital records. View more on correction affidavits.

General Forms

Victim of Domestic Violence or Abuse Fee Exempt Certified Copy of Birth Certificate Form

Legitimation

If the mother marries the natural father after the birth of their child, a new legitimated birth certificate can be created. Both parents must complete affidavits to legitimate the birth record. Each affidavit must be notarized. A certified copy of the parents’ marriage license or marriage certification must be submitted along with the affidavits. Upon receipt of the completed notarized affidavits and certified copy of marriage license or certification, the Bureau of Vital Records will create a new certificate and the previous certificate will be sealed. View more on legitimations.

Missouri Adoptee Rights Act (MARA)

Under the Missouri Adoptee Rights Act (RSMo 193.125 and 193.128, RSMo), adoptees, adoptee’s attorneys, birth parents, and lineal descendants of deceased adoptees can request a copy of the adoptee’s original birth certificate. The copy will be non-certified and will be stamped with “For genealogical purposes only. Not to be used for establishing identity”. Both adoptees and birth parents have the option to complete a contact preference form stating whether they would like to be contacted. View more on the Missouri Adoptee Rights Act.

Paternity

The Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity is a legal document. Before you complete an Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity, you must receive oral (spoken) notice of specific information contained in the Notice of Rights. If you are completing the Affidavit at the hospital when your child is born, you may receive oral notice from hospital staff. If you are completing the affidavit after the birth certificate has been filed, you may receive oral notice from the agency that gave you the form. You may also receive oral notice by calling (toll free) 1-888-677-2083. The Mother’s and Father’s Affidavit Acknowledging Paternity and the Husband’s Denial of Paternity (if applicable) must be submitted together to the Bureau of Vital Records. View more on paternity.

Putative Father Registry

The putative father registry allows a man to “officially” claim he is the father of a child. A man may want to do this before paternity is legally established if he cannot find the child’s mother or if the mother does not want to establish paternity for the child. The Putative Father Registry is used in adoption proceedings to identify the child’s father and promptly secure his consent to proceed with the adoption. View more on the Putative Father Registry.

For Professional Use

These documents should only be used by designated professionals with the applicable knowledge and/or training to successfully complete these documents. If you are a member of the general public, and need to complete one of these documents, contact the Bureau of Vital Records at 573-751-6387 prior to use.

BVR Training & Resources

2010 Revised Death Certificate FAQs