Alberta
Public access: 120 years
Official Records Office
Service Alberta — Vital Statistics
Issues certified copies of birth certificates. Records within the 120-year window require proof of relationship.
Visit official site ↗How to Get Records
- 1
Determine whether the record is older than 120 years. If so, it is public and can be ordered or searched through the Provincial Archives or FamilySearch.
- 2
For records within the 120-year window, you must show a direct family relationship (parent, child, sibling, grandchild) or have a signed authorization from the registrant.
- 3
Order a certified copy from Service Alberta online or by mail. Include the full name, date of birth, and parents' names if known.
- 4
For family history research on older records, search FamilySearch or contact the Provincial Archives for indexes and microfilmed records.
Resources
Tips
- •Alberta civil registration began in 1898 when the North-West Territories Ordinance required vital events to be recorded. Earlier births may only appear in church records.
- •Homesteader records through Library and Archives Canada can confirm an ancestor's presence in Alberta before formal registration.
- •If your ancestor was born in the North-West Territories before Alberta became a province in 1905, those records are held federally at Library and Archives Canada.