Friday, January 20, 2012

How do I know if my birth certificate is from vital statistics?

Im taking a cruise in November and I have my birth certificate from my mom. It looks like a copy but it has the raised circle at the bottom. It looks like a stamp of approval or something. Is this good or should I get another one?How do I know if my birth certificate is from vital statistics?
ALL certified birth certificates are copies! There is only one "original", and it is in the official archives of the state in which a person was born. The raised seal is the proof of certification. By the way, states use special "safety paper" for copies, and most of it is such that if you put the certified copy into a photocopier, the copies will all have shaded stripes or shaded words "copy".

PS: The other response is good so far as it goes. However, even with electronic filing, the receiving State makes a paper original for the archives, and the paper "work copy" is retained for the original signatures, which may be required for legal proceedings. Also, STATES always use safety paper, and most local registrars do, too. All should do so.How do I know if my birth certificate is from vital statistics?
Another answer mentions all birth certificates being copies. That may not be exactly true for births in the last 20 years or so. More and more states are using electronic birth registration; the "original" is just some electronic data stored in a computer. When this is printed out and handed to a person requesting a birth certificate, the title of the document will vary from state to state; it might nor might not be called a copy.



Another answer mentions birth certificates being printed on security paper. Not always. I obtained mine from a city in Connecticut around a year ago and it was printed on plain paper with the raised seal.

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