Call or visit the institution through which you received your GED. Tell them who you are, when you received your GED and why you need an official copy of the document. The institution should already have a copy of your GED on file, especially if you received it within the last five years. You can have the institution send the copy directly to you or to the school you plan to apply to. You may have to pay a fee to receive a copy of your GED.
Visit the website for the American Council on Education, which oversees the GED program in the United States. On the website, scroll down and click on "Request a Transcript." On the following page, click on "GED Transcript Request Form." Enter all of the required information on the page that opens up and print the page by clicking on the "Print Form" icon. Mail this completed form, along with a money order payment of $14 per transcript (as of April, 2011), to the GED Testing Service. The address to send the form to is:
GED Testing Service
One Dupont Circle, Suite 250
Washington D.C., 20036-1193
Fax your GED transcript request form to the GED Testing Service. Enter your credit card information for your $14 payment on your transcript form and fax the form to 202-296-8404.
Contact your local state Department of Education (sometimes known as the Department of Public Instruction). Visit your state's official website and click on the "Department of Education" or "Department of Public Instruction" link. On the following page, look in the staff directory for your state's GED/HSED administrator or coordinator. Call or email this person with the contact information provided and ask if he can provide you with an official copy of your GED certificate.