Obtaining a Birth Certificate
Since the early 1900’s, most states have kept records of birth. While this is not true for every state, as a general rule, if you were born after 1960, there is a state record of your birth. If you were born before, then there is still a good chance you will find a document, but the farther back you look, the more difficult documents will be to find.
Birth certificates are different than many other documents, as they contain a wide range of information. In fact, generally speaking, they contain a virtual treasure trove of information if you are attempting to trace family lineage or genealogy to a particular point. As an example, the following information is often found on birth certificates:
- The full name, birth date, and birth place of the father
- The full name, birth date, and birth place of the mother
- The occupations of the father and mother
- The ethnicity of the parents (in some cases)
- The occupation of the parents (in some cases)
- Any other children the parents may have (in some cases)
- The date and time of the birth
- The weight of the baby
- The full name of the baby
Birth certificates are typically registered in the hospital where the baby is delivered, and from there are recorded and sent to the state offices for archive and storage. A birth certificate is also unique among other certificate documents in the United States as it is one of the few countries in the world that still observes the practice of Jus Soli (Latin, for right of the soil). This literally means that anyone born in the United States is considered a citizen at birth, and therefore will have a US birth certificate record for the state they were born in.
Things are a little different for persons born abroad. This is because the US Consul or Embassy nearest them will issue their birth certificate. This is known as a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. It is still a birth certificate, but it is different in that a domestic birth certificate does not cost anything to receive, while a Consular report can cost several hundred dollars by the time all documents have been notarized, fees paid, and papers are completed.
With that in mind, it is no surprise that the cost for receiving a copy of your birth record can vary wildly. Generally speaking, the cost is about $15 for state copies. They are easy to obtain, particularly those after 1960, and can typically be printed on the spot by most state records facilities. In the case of persons born outside of the United States, the fee is $50.
To receive a copy of a birth certificate, it is important that you are able to present an acceptable form of identification to the state records office. This can be done in person or through the mail, but the preferred form of identification is either a state issued driver’s license or ID card. Other forms of identification are acceptable, such as Government Issued ID, Military ID, Police ID, and similar types of official ID. To keep things simple it is strongly recommended that you use a driver’s license. This will expedite the process and not cause added questions, undue time, and possible delays or refusal to issue documents. The following steps are recommended whether appearing in person or mailing your request in:
- A letter describing your request
- Your full name
- The name of the certificate holder
- Your relation to the certificate holder
- A signature, in blue ink
- A self-addressed stamped envelope with your return address on it
To help, we have included a list of external links to state resources, each of which will provide you with the information you need for your state or territory. List is found on, “Vital Records Department”.