College Alaska Birth Records

College birth records are filed with the Alaska Department of Health in Juneau, not at any local office. College is a census-designated place next to Fairbanks in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, home to about 11,000 people and the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. Residents here order birth certificates the same way as everyone else in the state. You can go online through VitalChek, mail in a form, or visit a walk-in office. This page explains how to search for and order College birth records.

About College Birth Records

College is an unincorporated community. It has no city hall and no clerk that handles vital records. The name comes from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, which sits right in the middle of town. Despite the large campus, there is no student services office or university desk that issues birth certificates. All College birth records go through the state.

HAVRS, the Health Analytics and Vital Records Section, is the sole keeper of these files. The main office is in Juneau at 5441 Commercial Boulevard. A walk-in branch sits in Anchorage at 3901 Old Seward Highway, Suite 101. Both offices can pull any College birth record from the central database. There is no walk-in option in Fairbanks or College itself.

Births at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital, which serves both Fairbanks and College, are reported to the state within five days as required by AS 18.50. The state files the record and stores it for the life of the person plus 100 years before it becomes public.

How to Order College Birth Records

College residents can order by mail, fax, online, or in person. Most people in this area use the mail or online option because the closest walk-in office is in Anchorage, about 360 miles south.

Online orders are the most popular choice. Go to VitalChek and fill out the form. Upload a photo ID and pay with a card. The state ships the copy in two to three weeks. An extra fee applies for this service. This is the only online option that the state has approved for College birth records or any Alaska birth records.

Mail is cheaper but slower. Print the request form from the Alaska Department of Health vital records orders page. Fill it in, sign it, and send it with a copy of your ID and a check or money order for $30. Mail goes to P.O. Box 110675, Juneau, AK 99811-0675. Allow two to three months. Fax goes to (907) 465-3618.

Walk-in service at the Anchorage office gets you a same-day copy. The Juneau office does the same. Bring a photo ID and the fee. The clerk pulls the record on the spot. College residents who happen to be in Anchorage for other reasons often stop in to pick up a birth record while they are there.

Note: Use only one order method at a time to avoid duplicate charges on your College birth record request.

Birth Records Eligibility in College

Alaska keeps recent birth records closed. Under AS 18.50, College birth records stay private for 100 years. Only the person on the record, a parent, a guardian, or an authorized party can get a copy. The state checks your ID before it releases anything.

Accepted IDs include a driver's license, state ID, passport, military ID, or Tribal card with a photo. College students who are 14 or older can also use a school ID, such as a UAF student card. Expired IDs are OK if they have not been expired for more than one year.

Third parties need a notarized letter from the person named on the record. Attorneys and government agencies can order with a letter on letterhead. Once a record hits the 100-year mark, it opens to the public and anyone can request it.

College Birth Certificate Fees

The first certified copy of a College birth record costs $30. Extra copies at the same time are $25 each. Heirloom certificates with Alaska art cost $55 for the first and $50 for extras. Amendments and name changes are $60 and include one new copy. An apostille costs $42 plus the record fee. Special research is $75 per hour.

Make checks payable to the Alaska Vital Records Office. Credit and debit cards work at the walk-in offices and on VitalChek. The state does not take cash by mail. All fees are set under Alaska Statute Title 18, Chapter 50.

Historical Birth Records Near College

College grew around the university, which was founded in 1917. But the wider Fairbanks area has birth records that go back even further. The Alaska State Archives has Fairbanks birth records from 1904 to 1967 in its indexes. St. Joseph Hospital in Fairbanks kept birth logs from 1913 to 1919. These older records are useful for family research and are free to search through several online tools.

The FamilySearch Alaska Vital Records wiki is a free starting point. It lists the dates and types of Alaska records that are online. FamilySearch scanned over 1.1 million pages from the Alaska State Archives.

You can also visit the Alaska State Archives genealogy page to learn what is in the collection. The archives holds vital statistics from 1816 through 1998. Delayed birth records are also on file for people born before 1930 who never had a birth registered. The HAVRS Special Services Unit at (907) 465-1200 handles delayed filing requests.

College Birth Record Amendments

If a College birth record has an error, the HAVRS Special Services Unit can fix it. Common changes include name corrections, adding a parent, and legal name changes after adoption or court order. The cost is $60, which covers one new certified copy. The wait is about three months. There is no expedited option for amendments.

All amendment forms must be mailed or taken to the Juneau office in person. The state requires original signed documents for paternity acknowledgments, adoptions, and name changes. Call the Special Services Unit at (907) 465-1200 for help. College students at UAF who need a birth record for enrollment or financial aid should plan ahead since mail orders can take months and the nearest walk-in office is in Anchorage.

Fairbanks North Star Borough Details

College is part of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. The borough seat is Fairbanks. The borough government handles schools, roads, and property taxes. It does not issue birth certificates or keep vital records. For College birth records, you always deal with the state. Visit the Fairbanks North Star Borough page for more on how the borough connects to vital records.

The Fairbanks North Star Borough website has local service info. The CountyOffice.org Fairbanks North Star birth records page is another guide for contacts and forms tied to College birth records.

Nearby Cities

College sits right next to Fairbanks and near Badger. All three are in the Fairbanks North Star Borough and use the same state system for birth records. Fairbanks is the regional hub and has the most services. Badger is east of Fairbanks along the Richardson Highway. None of these communities has a local vital records office.

Local Resources for College Birth Records

College is the home of the University of Alaska Fairbanks main campus, and many College residents are students, faculty, or staff of UAF. New births are filed at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital. The hospital sends the paperwork to the state in Juneau, and parents can then order a certified copy by mail or online through VitalChek. There is no local office in College that handles birth certificates. The nearest walk-in vital records office is in Anchorage. Note: The UAF Rasmuson Library has some older Alaska vital records on microfilm and can be a good starting point for family history research in the College area.