Certificates of Birth - Filing - Time Period

More time to file a birth certificate

Beginning October 1, 2026, Maryland gives 12 calendar days to complete and file a birth certificate. This covers births in a hospital, on the way to a hospital, outside a hospital, or on a common carrier. Hospitals or attending clinicians must prepare the record, get signatures, include any court order on parentage, and file it. They must also provide the birth date and medical details within 12 days. If no clinician is present, the Secretary verifies the birth and filing goes in order: the attending individual, then a parent, then the person in charge. Births on carriers are registered in Maryland when the child is first removed here; for international travel, the certificate shows the actual place of birth if known. A parent can use a 10‑day filing window by notifying the Division of Vital Records on the Secretary’s form as soon as possible, but no later than 5 days after birth.