Georgia birth, death, marriage and divorce records: where to look
Georgia's state office provides vital events from 1919; older records are with the county or the Georgia Archives. Marriages are filed in the county Probate Court, and the Archives holds microfilm for most counties.
At a glance
| Record | Years at the state | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | 1919 to the present at the state. Before 1919: the county, or the Georgia Archives for more information. [1][6] | $25 for the first copy, $5 for each additional. Mail orders accept a money order or cashier's check. [5][2] |
| Death | 1919 to the present at the state. Before 1919: the county, or the Georgia Archives. [1][6] | $25 for the first copy, $5 for each additional. [5] |
| Marriage | State office: June 1952 to August 1996 for applications and certificates; it can verify marriages on or after January 1, 2014. The Archives has county microfilm; post-1900 records are mostly not there. [9][6] | $10 non-refundable search fee (one certified letter if found) and $5 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. [9][5] |
| Divorce | Not confirmed on the official pages we read. | Not confirmed on the official pages we read. |
Superscript numbers point to the official page each fact came from, listed at the bottom of this page.
Birth records
- Where it is kept
- The State Office of Vital Records, or any of Georgia's 159 county vital records offices. [1]
- Years covered
- 1919 to the present at the state. Before 1919: the county, or the Georgia Archives for more information. [1][6]
- Who can get a certified copy
- The person named, a legal spouse, parents named on the certificate, grandparents, adult children, adult siblings, or legal guardians or representatives. [2]
- Fee
- $25 for the first copy, $5 for each additional. Mail orders accept a money order or cashier's check. [5][2]
- Processing time
- Regular orders ship in up to 10 weeks. [2][4]
Some cities kept earlier birth records: Savannah from 1890, Macon from 1891 and Atlanta (Fulton County) from 1896, per the Georgia Archives (page 7).
Death records
- Where it is kept
- The State Office of Vital Records or a county vital records office. [1]
- Years covered
- 1919 to the present at the state. Before 1919: the county, or the Georgia Archives. [1][6]
- Who can get a certified copy
- A legal spouse, adult children, adult siblings, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, or someone with a tangible interest. Anyone can order a plain paper copy with the Social Security number redacted. [2]
- Fee
- $25 for the first copy, $5 for each additional. [5]
- Processing time
- Up to 10 weeks. [2][4]
Georgia Archives says Savannah's death registers 1803 to 1913 are at the City of Savannah Archives, Macon (Bibb County) recorded deaths from 1882 and Atlanta (Fulton County) from 1889 (page 8).
Marriage records
- Where it is kept
- The State Office of Vital Records for marriages from June 1952 to August 1996; the county Probate Court where the license was issued for anything outside that window. [9][10]
- Years covered
- State office: June 1952 to August 1996 for applications and certificates; it can verify marriages on or after January 1, 2014. The Archives has county microfilm; post-1900 records are mostly not there. [9][6]
- Who can get a certified copy
- A certified copy of the marriage application is only available to the bride and groom (Party 1 and Party 2). The page does not list who may order a certificate or verification. [9]
- Fee
- $10 non-refundable search fee (one certified letter if found) and $5 for each additional copy ordered at the same time. [9][5]
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
Georgia Archives: vital records Georgia Probate Courts directory
Divorce records
- Where it is kept
- The Clerk of the Superior Court in the county where the divorce was granted. The state says it can confirm divorces but does not hold copies. [10]
- Years covered
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Who can get a certified copy
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Fee
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
- Processing time
- Not confirmed on the official pages we read.
Requests for divorce records must go through the superior court, per Georgia.gov.
About ordering online
Georgia's state page lists three online routes: ROVER (run by the state) plus two third-party vendors, VitalChek and GO Certificates. All quote standard delivery up to 10 weeks. GO Certificates offers FedEx expedited shipping at $16 per order. The state link we use is ROVER. [4]
Archives and other places to look
- The Georgia Archives has marriage records for most counties on microfilm and many in its Virtual Vault "Marriage Records on Microfilm" collection. The page does not state a price. [6] Georgia Archives: vital records
The National Archives describes FamilySearch.org as free with account creation (see our census page), but we could not open FamilySearch's own pages, so we do not describe what it holds for Georgia.
Historical newspapers
The Library of Congress's Chronicling America lists 70 digitized newspaper titles published in Georgia, with issues dated from March 6, 1828 to December 31, 1963. Coverage is uneven inside that span: it is a list of titles, not a promise that every town or year is there. Chronicling America includes select digitized newspapers through 1963.
Browse Georgia titles at the Library of Congress
New to newspaper research? See our guide to finding old newspapers (obituaries, marriage notices, birth announcements).
Counts come from the Library of Congress's "All Digitized Titles" list, read October 27, 2026. The Library of Congress says it believes these newspapers are in the public domain or have no known copyright restrictions.
How we verified this page
Last verified October 27, 2026. Offices change fees and rules without notice. If something here no longer matches the official page, trust the official page.
Confirmed on official pages
- State office provides vital events from 1919; statewide registration began in 1919.
- Marriages are recorded by the county Probate Court since 1805.
- Fees: $25 birth or death, $10 marriage; additional copies $5.
- Up to 10 weeks for regular orders.
Could not verify
- Divorce fees, years and eligibility at each Superior Court, and marriage processing time. The state pages we read give none.
- Whether the state's post-1996 and pre-1952 marriage gaps are filled by the county Probate Court in every county. The state says to use the county; we did not check any county.
- A free FamilySearch collection for Georgia. We could not open FamilySearch's pages.
Sources
- Georgia DPH: About Vital Records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia DPH: Order by mail Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia DPH: Order online Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia DPH: Online certificate vendors Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia DPH: Fees Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia Archives: Vital records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia Archives: Birth records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia Archives: Death records Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia DPH: marriages Official state page read 2026-10-27
- Georgia.gov: request vital records Official state page read 2026-10-27