A certified copy of a birth certificate is an official legal document bearing a registrar’s raised, embossed, or multicolored seal. It’s a primary vital record for US citizens and is one of the primary documents needed to get a REAL ID.
Beyond proving your citizenship for a US passport, a certified copy is now mandatory for Social Security audits and most state-level REAL ID driver's license applications.
How To Get a Certified Copy of a Birth Certificate
To get a certified birth record, you must apply to the state where the birth was recorded, as there is no single federal database for vital records. You can order an official copy online, or make the request in person.
Each state determines their rules and fees for ordering birth certificates as well as other vital records.
Certified vs. Informational Copies of Birth Certificates
Each state establishes its own processes for issuing birth certificates. Most offer short and long form copies. If a record is ‘certified’, this means that it has been issued by official authorities.
An informational copy, sometimes known as a short form birth certificate, contains only the key details of a person’s birth. It’s usually stamped with a disclaimer, similar to the following:Informational, not a valid document to establish identity.
The rules on who can order a short form birth certificate vary from state to state, and not all states issue records of this type. Where available, they’re usually accessible to most people.
The other key type of birth certificate is a long form copy. This includes all the details of a person’s birth, including parents’ names, place of birth, and other details. This can be used to prove citizenship and is usually required for federal processes, like passport applications.
For security reasons, only certain people can usually request an official long form copy of a birth certificate.
How to check whether your birth record is a certified copy
The following features of certified birth certificates differentiate them from commemorative or non-official documents:
Read more: Birth certificate long form and short form
