Birth Certificate Template | Fillable PDF | Blank
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States issue birth certificates to document a human being born. As a vital record, your birth certificate proves your location and date of birth, which are needed when applying for driver’s licenses, passports, and other official documents.
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In the US, state health departments issue short- and long-form birth certificates. Long-form birth certificates are a full page in length, whereas short-form certificates are the size of a credit card. Typically, both types of certificate will contain the following information:
- Name of the person at birth
- Date of birth
- Location of birth
- Parents’ names
- Certificate number
- Filing date
The long-form certificate will also contain official signatures. For most purposes, an official short-form certificate will suffice. For some other purposes, such as obtaining dual citizenship, you will have to present a long-form certificate. Be sure you know which form you need. Both types should also display the state seal.
Often, hospitals will send new parents home with an unofficial birth certificate, sometimes with the baby’s footprints. To obtain the official certificate, you have to request the hospital or department of health to send you one.
For unofficial purposes such as to commemorate a loved one’s birth, you can create a copy of a birth certificate yourself with a word processing program. Otherwise, you can request unofficial copies of a birth certificate from the state, although it will not be useful for legal purposes and will not contain the state seal.
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