Lost Your Birth Certificate?

If you lost your birth certificate would you know what to do? You may think you do, but be careful; states have different requirements and the smallest error or omission may cause delays or even denials.

It is a good idea to have more than one copy of your birth certificate, some places will accept a regular faxed copy and others require them to be certified with the raised seal being a necessity. Make sure you know exactly what the company that is requesting the copy from you will or will not accept.

Processing times are also unique to that particular state so be sure to request the copy far enough in advance that it will hopefully go through and be on time. If you live in the same state where you were born and would like to personally go to the office of vital records to obtain a copy, call first. The reason for this is to make sure they will allow it. For instance, about one year ago California stopped accepting birth certificate requests from people who just walked in off the street. So, if you had been able to do this before or knew someone that walked in to get a copy of his or hers you may not know that it is no longer done that way and will have wasted your time.

It is not a guarantee, but if you check with a company that specializes in obtaining these documents you may be able to get your copy a little quicker as the vital records department may offer special treatment to those companies. At the very least they will be able to tell you all of the requirements that may be needed to obtain a copy in your state and walk you through the process, allowing you to become a little more stress-free again.