about BIRTH CERTIFICATES

who-what-when-where-why and how BIRTH CERTIFIICATE

WHO gets a birth certificate? Any child who is born alive.

WHAT is a birth certicate? A birth certificate will tell you the date and place of birth of a named child. It will also give you the names of the parents and the parental residence, possibly. And the father's occupation. So the birth certificate will give you two generations for the price of one. And it will give you the mother's maiden name, or her former name, so that you can then look for their marriage certificate. And a sequence of these birth, marriage, birth, marriage certificates will take the family tree back in time and will provide proof of relationship.

WHEN do you get a birth certificate? At time of birth

WHERE do you get a birth certificate.

WHY do you need a birth certicate? The birth certificate can be used to authenticate one's identity and nationality, and assist swith obtaining government-issued identity documents such as a passport or driver's license

How to get a birth certificate .

Step 1
Get birth certificate copies from the United States government's Vital Records Offices. Vital Records Offices handle all certificates of birth, death and marriage. To obtain a certificate you must contact the Vital Records Offices in the state where you were born.

Step 2
Find a directory of Vital Records Offices on the National Center for Health Statistics, Center for Disease Control website. This can assist you in locating the agency in each state.

Step 3
Access to birth records is limited. To request a birth certificate you must be the person whose name is listed on the birth certificate, the parent or legal guardian, grandparent, an adult child or sibling, or the spouse of the person named on the birth certificate. If you are not on this list, don't bother applying.

Step 4
Provide the following information to conduct a search: the full name of the person on the birth certificate, the date and place of their birth, their current age, sex and race, their mother's and father's full name, your relationship to the person, and the number of certificates requested.

Step 5
Decide which way to apply for the birth certificate copy. Each state has slightly different application procedures but most allow you to apply in person, by mail or by fax. A few states do allow you to pre-order by phone, but you must pick up the birth certificate in person. The requester must provide a signed request form and valid photo identification . Valid identification can be a state-issued identification card, employer-issued photo identification or a driver's license

NOTE: since 9/11 more restrictions have been placed on getting documents , so just be patient and try to work with the agencies the best you can.