News Release – DOH Vital Records Office Moving to New Downtown Honolulu Location

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

JOSH GREEN, M.D.

GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

KA ʻOIHANA OLAKINO

KENNETH S. FINK, MD, MGA, MPH

DIRECTOR

KA LUNA HOʻOKELE

DOH VITAL RECORDS OFFICE MOVING TO NEW DOWNTOWN HONOLULU LOCATION

26-111

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 27, 2026

HONOLULU - The Hawaiʻi Department of Health (DOH) today announced that its Office of Health Status Monitoring (OHSM), home to the state's Vital Records Office, will relocate to a new downtown Honolulu location beginning Sept. 21, with the move expected to be completed by Oct. 1.

During the transition, both the current office at Kinau Hale, 1250 Punchbowl St., and the new office at City Financial Tower, 201 Merchant St., Suite 100, will remain open to ensure uninterrupted service. Once the move is complete, all in-person services will be provided exclusively from the new downtown location.

The Office of Health Status Monitoring issues approximately 300,000 certified copies of birth, death and marriage records each year and maintains Hawaiʻi's official vital records, some dating back to the mid-1800s.

"This move represents an important investment in customer service while preserving Hawaiʻi's historical vital records," said Grace Vo, State registrar. "The new office provides a modern space near public transportation and public parking that will better serve Hawaiʻi residents. Additionally, with the relocation, we will be extending our office hours."

Beginning Oct. 1, customers should visit or send mail to:

Office of Health Status Monitoring (Vital Records)

City Financial Tower

201 Merchant St., Suite 100

Honolulu, HI 96813

New public hours will be extended to 7:45 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding state holidays. The office's previous closing time was 2:30 p.m.

DOH expects to remain open throughout the relocation. Because the move involves transporting and organizing more than 175 years of records, customers may experience minor delays in mail orders, genealogy requests and historical record searches during the transition.

Certificate paper changing from green to yellow

Around the same time as the move, DOH will begin issuing certified vital records on yellow security paper as the remaining supply of the current green paper is exhausted.

The new paper has been procured through a local Hawaiʻi Compliance Express-certified vendor. Updated certificates will include several design improvements, including placement of the state registrar's signature on the front page to improve document scanning and verification.

The new yellow paper has improved resistance to thermal fading for long-term readability and has the same advanced security features as the green version, including:

• Chemical sensitivity to tampering agents such as polar and non-polar solvents; and
• Invisible fluorescent fibers embedded in the paper

Previously issued certificates, including the green certificates, remain fully valid. Residents do not need to replace existing birth, death or marriage certificates because of the paper color change; certificate fees are not changing.

Looking ahead

In May 2026 DOH awarded a competitive procurement to modernize its vital records database and ordering system. This work will take place through 2026 and 2027. The upgraded system will improve processing efficiency, reduce manual workflows and help speed issuance of birth, death and marriage certificates.

For more information, updates on the relocation, online ordering and office services, visit the Office of Health Status Monitoring website at health.hawaii.gov/vitalrecords or call 808-586-4539.

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