Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses, and death certificates. In some jurisdictions, vital records may also include records of civil unions or domestic partnerships. Maria Elizabeth Winblad (1895-1987) birth certificate In most countries, a birth certificate is an official legal identity document usually containing most of the following information: Name at birth Date and time of birth Sex Place of birth Birth registration number (NHS number in UK) Legal parent(s) (including in... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Anna Augusta Kershaw (1841-1931) death certificate A death certificate is a document issued by a government official, such as a government registrar, that declares the date, location and cause of a persons death. ... A civil union is one of several terms for a civil status similar to marriage, typically created for the purposes of allowing homosexual couples access to the benefits enjoyed by married heterosexuals (see also same-sex marriage); it can also be used by couples of differing sexes who do not... Domestic partner or domestic partnership identifies the personal relationship between individuals who are living together and sharing a common domestic life together but are not joined in any type of legal partnership, marriage or civil union. ...

In the United States, vital records are typically maintained under state law by a county clerk or county recorder. The term county clerk has been commonly applied, in several English-speaking countries, to an influential employee of a county administration. ... Recorder of deeds refers to the government office that maintains records of transfers of real estate, as well as many other public documents. ...

Accessing vital records from a variety of jurisdictions, for instance as part of genealogical research or employment background investigations, can be an arduous task and represents a growth opportunity for online information aggregation services. An example of one such service is the Vital Records Guide.