Birth Certificates

[mickeyboat]

A poster on the cruise meets board asked a question which I was hoping someone could answer.

Our birth certificates have a raised seal. The poster's friend got one from the courthouse which does not have a seal but is printed on some special bonded paper.

Is a raised seal required? Will the special paper be sufficient?

Thanks for your help.

Denae

 

[kcashner]

If your friend's birth certificate is the official legal certificate from the state, it should be acceptable. Most of the "older" type ones had the raised seal. Some of the newer ones have a holographic seal.

The important thing is that it is the real, legal birth certificate that is issued by the state. A certificate given by the hospital (a souvenier certificate) is not acceptable.

 

[mickeyboat]

Thanks for the information. I am sure that eases her mind.

Denae

 

[jenas dream]

Can it now be the small credit card type issued by the state?

 

[mobetsy]

What you need to look for is that it is a certified copy of the birth certificate. The raised seal is simply one indication of this, but not the only way of determining it. If you look at any of them carefully, a certified copy will say something about that on it, and non-certified copies (whether "informational" copies from the county of birth or the hospital issued ones) will also indicate that they are not official certified copies. The new credit card style birth certificates sound so much easier; I'm sure that they also will say somewhere on them that they are official certified birth documents.