It's necessary to have a copy of your birth certificate in many instances. For example, you'll need to present your birth certificate to obtain a marriage license, to get a passport and in some states, to get a driver's license. Fortunately, if you can't locate your original birth certificate, it's simple to get a certified copy. The procedure and requirements vary a bit for each state, but the following is an outline of the basic steps.
- Visit the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) web page. Thisispart of the Center for Disease Control website. It will provide you with basic instructions on how to acquirecopies of birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates. It also has links to the website for each state that will give you more detailed instructions. From this page, click on the link for the state in which your birth took place.
- Carefully read the instructions on how to get a birth certificate copy. If necessary, click on the link to the state's website for more information. In general, most states have records dating back to at least 1900.
- Determine what you will need to obtain a birth certificate copy. Not just anyone can get a copy of your birth certificate. Usually, requests for birth certificate copies are limited to you, your spouse, children, parents, siblings and/or a legal representative of one of the above. In order to prove that you are entitled to a copy of a birth certificate, you'll need to prove your identity, most often by providing a copy of your driver's license. You'll also need to list your full name at birth, your date of birth, sex, county or city of birth, hospital name, full (maiden) name of your mother, full name of your father, your signature (possibly notarized), your mailing address and your daytime phone number. Once you have assembled all of this information, you're ready for the next step!
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Author: Tonya Sandersfeld