All Topics Consumer Services Consumer Regulation Records/Licenses/Permits Birth Certificates

Programs that maintain and, where appropriate, provide copies of birth certificates, i.e., documents which certify the date and place of a person's birth as well as his/her parentage. Available in most jurisdictions are authorized copies which are required to obtain a driver’s license, passport, Social Security card and other services related to an individual’s identity; and informational copies which cannot be used to establish a person’s identity. Only individuals designated by law have access to authorized copies of a person's birth certificate.