Virginia Department of Health warns of fake vital records
Websites scam sites are charging a fee for application forms
The State Health Commissioner warned Virginians not to use any third party services to obtain vital records and not to pay any fee for vital records application forms, which have always been and always will be free. Although the forms are free, there are fees for searches. Please ensure that any required payment goes directly to the Office of Vital Records. Official information and application forms are available at any Vital Records office in Virginia and the VDH website. The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) is also an official resource for vital records information.
“The Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Vital Records and the DMV are always available to provide low or no cost resources to all Virginians. Use of an unauthorized, outside entity is costly and completely unnecessary,” said Dr. M. Norman Oliver, State Health Commissioner. “When Googling information, please make sure to only use official VDH and DMV websites.”
Many forms and transactions can be downloaded or performed on the Office of Vital Records’ website. Before proceeding with any download or transaction, VDH advises Virginians to make sure www.vdh.virginia.gov is in the address bar.
The VDH Office of Vital Records has received complaints from customers who have mistakenly ordered and paid for vital records application forms from third party websites. These online services have no affiliation with the VDH Office of Vital Records or any state government entity. These unaffiliated websites are also charging consumers unnecessary and inflated fees for vital records, and this trend appears to be a nationwide problem.
Information regarding how to acquire a certified Virginia vital record can be found here.