ORDER YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE ONLINE
The Vital Records Modernization Act, a new vital records law for the state of Washington, will come into effect starting January 1st, 2021.
The new law will have important effects on the way the public accesses vital records such as death and birth certificates, including the fees involved in requesting these documents.
The Vital Records Modernization Act was designed with several beneficial results in mind, including for example:
Secretary of Health John Wiesman said:
“These changes will help protect privacy and prevent identity theft, while ensuring the public’s access to these important documents is maintained. The laws, rules, and regulations governing vital records in Washington had gone untouched for decades, and these updates are much needed to modernize this critical area of our work.”
Keep reading to find out the changes confirmed by officials at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) and how these may affect you and your vital records requests.
The Vital Records Modernization Act includes a great number of new rules. Changes may cover the following:
According to the new vital records law for Washington, only qualified applicants will be able to request certificates or certified copies of birth certificates, death, or fetal death records.
A qualified person would be the subject of the record or someone who has a qualifying relationship with the subject of the record. Qualified petitioners must provide proof of identification.
Here are examples of qualified applicants who are not the subject of the record:
Acceptable ID includes:
To prove a qualifying relationship, applicants must provide, for example, copies of the following:
The new Washington vital records law sees the creation of a new short form death certificate that does not contain the cause or manner of death. This is to protect sensitive medical information.
Short form death certificates and non-certified, informational birth certificates will be available to the public. Non-certified informational certificates cannot be used for legal purposes.
Certificate fees are going to be increased for the first time since 2007. Certified and non-certified informational copies will both cost $25 per certificate.
Additional fees may apply depending on the method you decide to use to order.
The new law also includes the waiving of birth certificate fees and other fees for some subjects and in certain circumstances such as:
From the 1st of January 2021, there will be a new gender option on vital records like birth certificates.
When filling out the documents, it will be possible to choose a non-binary gender, an X sex option box. This is so that certificates will become more inclusive and cover genderqueer individuals.
Read more: Non-Binary Birth Certificates and State IDs: Full Guide
Those who see their vital record order fulfilled in 2020 and have the new changes implemented must:
The vital record request forms that you can find on US Birth Certificates are up to date with the latest legislation of each state. They are the most efficient way to request your certificate while making sure to fill out the correct, current form.