HOW TO GET A CERTIFIED COPY OF YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE

How to Get a Certified Copy of Your Birth Certificate

A certified copy of an original birth certificate is becoming increasingly important as a required form of identification.

A certified birth certificate copy is required for getting a US passport and when applying for Social Security benefits. It is also considered valid proof of US citizenship by federal, state and local government agencies. A birth certificate may be required when applying for some jobs and may, in the future, be required when getting or renewing a driver’s license.

Best to Get a ‘Certified’ Copy of Your Birth Certificate

In most cases, a simple photocopy of your original birth certificate will not be considered as a sufficient form of identification. Instead, you will be required to have a “certified” copy of your birth certificate issued by the state in which your birth was recorded.

A certified copy of a birth certificate has an official state registrar’s raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office, which must be within one year of the person’s date of birth.

NOTE: A certified copy of the applicant’s birth certificate is required when applying for the Transportation Safety Administration’s (TSA) popular Precheck program, which allows members to pass through the security lines at more than 180 airports without needing to remove their clothes.

The importance of having a certified copy of your birth certificate should never be understated. Indeed, in the United States, it is considered the of proof of identity. Certified copies of birth certificates are one of the three certificates (birth certificate, marriage certificate, and divorce certificate) that can be used to prove U.S. citizenship.

How to Get a Real Birth Certificate?

The federal government does not provide copies of birth certificates, marriage licenses, divorce decrees or any other personal vital records. Copies of birth certificates and other personal vital records can only be obtained from the state or US possession where the documents were originally filed. Most states provide a centralized source from which birth certificates and other vital records can be ordered.

Each state and US possession will have its own set of rules and fees for ordering certified birth certificates on other vital records. Rules, ordering instructions and fees for all 50 states, the District of Columbia and all US possessions can be found on the Where to Write for Vital Records web page, helpfully maintained by the US Centers for Disease Control.

Where to order real registered documents online?

When ordering, be aware that shortened (abstract) versions of birth certificates offered by some states may not be acceptable when applying for a US passport, driver’s license, Social Security benefits or many other purposes. Be sure to order only the full, certified copy of the original birth certificate bearing the registrar’s raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal, registrar’s signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office.

If You Need to Replace Your Original Birth Certificate

In some cases, you may need to replace your US original birth certificate. Find the website of the vital records office in the state where you were born and follow their walk in, write in, or online application instructions. You will probably need a state-issued form of photo ID, like driver’s license. If you don’t have a state-issued photo ID, call and see what options may be available. One solution some states offer is to have your mother or father whose name is on the birth certificate submit a notarized letter with a copy of their photo ID for the request.