NOTICE OF CHANGES OF SHIPPING CHARGES FOR SHIPPING CERTIFIED COPIES OF VITAL RECORDS BY THE SECTION OF HEALTH ANALYTICS AND VITAL RECORDS (HAVRS), WITHIN THE DIVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH.
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION The section of Health Analytics and Vital Records within the Division of Public Health in the Department of Health is updating charges for shipping certified copies of vital records. |
The Department of Health charges for shipping certified copies of vital records. Shipping charges are part of the overall fee for the service of providing certified copies of vital records. Thus, shipping costs fall within the fees for service section of the vital records act.
- AS 18.50.330 Fee for services. (a) The state registrar shall prescribe the fees to be paid for certified copies of certificates, for issuing marriage licenses, for searches of the files or records, for the filing of delayed or substitute certificates, for making amendments, for supplying documentary evidence for these purposes, and for special services rendered by the bureau.
Increases in postage charges by USPS and FedEx necessitates an increase in the cost of postage. HAVRS will continue to offer USPS services for all domestic shipments, and FedEx services for all international shipments. HAVRS also wants to enhance the security of mailed documents as we do receive reports of certificate theft. We now strongly encourage customers to choose a signature requirement for certificate mailing. This is reflected in the menu of changes to our shipping charges.
The new shipping charges are in the following table:
| Shipping Company | New Shipping Charge | Notes |
| Regular USPS 1st Class | No Charge | No tracking. No signature required. |
| USPS Priority | $13.00 | Includes tracking. No signature required. |
| USPS Priority | $18.00 | Includes tracking and signature. |
| FedEx International | $50.00/$60.00/ $70.00 | Includes $5.25 for direct signature. Requires call from customer to HAVRS. |
The new charges will be implemented on June 1, 2026