Contents

• Although the specific contents of a birth certificate may vary by jurisdiction, they generally list the full name of the child, the mother's maiden name, father's name and parents' marital status at the time of birth. Birth certificates also list the city, state and county of birth, time of birth, parents' birthplaces, and name of the attending doctor or midwife. Birth certificates further state whether it was a single or multiple birth, as well as the date the birth certificate was filed with the city, county or state vital records agency.
  
  

Purpose

• Birth certificates are a primary form of identification. They are used to show proof of a parent/child relationship and establish identity when applying for a passport, driver's license, or Social Security Card. Birth certificates can also verify citizenship for the purposes of travel and employment.
  
  

Modifications

• Vital records departments can only modify birth certificates when there were errors made on the original document. Otherwise, individuals must obtain a court order in order to add, remove or change information on their birth certificate. This includes changes to a first name or addition of a father whose identity was unknown at the time the original birth certificate was filed.
  
  

Issuing Body

• Birth certificates are issued by individual state health or vital records departments. In some jurisdictions, individual cities and counties maintain birth records, while other states maintain centralized vital records agencies. Although hospitals sometimes issue certificates to families following the birth of a child, these are generally not legal birth certificates and cannot be used as identification or proof of citizenship.
  
  

Requesting a Birth Certificate

• The only persons who may request a birth certificate are the subject of the document, her legal parents or a legal representative of any of these parties. All jurisdictions require a copy of the requestor's photo identification, such as a driver's license or passport, before they will issue a copy of the birth certificate. Birth certificates of deceased persons are a matter of public record, however, and can be accessed by the public for research or genealogical purposes.