Birth Certificates With No Raised Seal?

[scrapperjill]

If you live in or near the state that the births were in...it would be faster, and cheeper to just go down to a local goverment building and get a certified BC that way....Vital Check costs a considerable amount more. Doing it on your own...you'll also be able to get it the same day.

I once thought you had to go through the state capitol (don't know why I thought that..) to get an offical BC....but soon found out you can go to any city in any county within the birth state and obtain an official Certified BC. Fast and cheep.

Even if you don't live in or near the state which your needing the BC...sometimes it's still cheeper to go through their Vital records...than to go through Vitalcheck.com

 

[janet89]

I just got a new, certified birth certificate for myself from the Department of Health. It was very quick and only $15. My mother had kept my certificate in her bank box, since the last time I needed it was for a trip to Cancun when I was in college. She actually grabbed the wrong one, which was a very official looking hospital birth certificate. She did eventually get me the right one, but I had already received my new one. I didn't want to take any chances!! I know each state may be different, but it was very simple here in MO.

 

[mickeyfan1]

All DCL is looking for is a non-photo-copyed official document, from a government agency.


It needs to cary an official seal of some government agency, state or county usually. But some agencies do not have raised seals.

If your Birth certificate is from the hospital, then it will not be considered valid. If they are from a hospital, I would call DCL, run it by them, and then check with some of the internet sites that can provide documentation. Or if you live in the same state you were born in, they should have a vital records office in your county. Or, you can always contact the vital records office in your home state.. Many will let you overnight mail, or fax a request for a birth certificate, via photo id.

If DCL won't take a photocopy, then I would be in deep doo doo. My official certified BC is from Mass. It is a photocopry from a book. You can see where they laid the book on the copier to make the copy. It was copied onto a piece of paper with a green seal printed on it. The seal also has raised letters on it.

I too thought I had a "real" BC untill I went to get my passport. That's when I found out differently.

Each state has their own rules and regulations about BCs. To get a certified copy, you can use Vital Check, but they charge for their services, above what the issuer gets. If you have access to the internet (and you must, you are reading this) go to your birth states website and search for birth records. YOu should be able to find out all the info as to how to get yours.

 

[tvguy]

I have no personal experience with Vital Check, but in the past some on this board have complained that the Birth Certificate they got from Vital Check was merely a copy, not a certified copy...so be careful.