Freaking Out! Can't find DS birth certificate!!

[Dana_Buckley]

Well, I can't find my DS, 20 months, birth certificate! Does the baby really need one?? What if I really don't find it! I'm still looking, but it is not in any place that I would keep it. I'm not even sure where else to look. Our cruise is in 11 days, but we are leaving town in just three days...HELP!

 

[Mickeyfan66]

Last fall, my sister was told that she needed to have a birth certificate for any children who are boarding an airplane with her. Apparently it has to do with the Amber Alert Prevention. So I would think you would need it. I know here in Washington, all I need to do is go to the County Department of Vital Statistics and get a copy. It takes about 20 mintes and I can walk out with a copy. I would call your local county (or look it up on the net) and find out how to get a certified copy. Hope that Helps. Good Luck and have a Great Time.

 

[thegales]

Take a moment and breathe....

Two Choices:
1.) Log onto www.vitalcheck.com. Click on your state to get the phone number. Call them tomorrow, asking them to expedite the service and to overnight it to you.

When you talk with them, find out when they think they can send it. If they can't be sure you receive prior to your leaving, ask if they can overnight it to where you are going prior to the cruise.

If they do need to send to a hotel, call the hotel and let them know you are expecting an overnight package, and the expected arrival date.

2.) Since DS is still young, do you live near the hospital where he was born? If so, go visit them and ask if you can get another copy.


Once you do either of the above, get a glass of wine (or other favorite beverage) and relax. At that point, you will remember where you filed the original birth certificate at your house.

Have fun on your cruise!

 

[Dana_Buckley]

OK, I called the county clerk and I can get a copy in person in about 10 minutes! Whew! They are closing too soon this afternoon, but first thing tomorrow morning I'll be at the office.

Thank you both sooooo much! I just can't believe I don't know where my original is? Well, crisis averted! Thanks again!

 

[scrapperjill]

Dana_Buckley...that's great that your going to be able to get it so fast. I was going to recomend going into your local records department if you lived with-in the same state as your sons birth...it's the fastest and cheepest way to go about it. Vital check i'm afraid would take much longer than the couple days that you have...and they charge alot more.

Another thing I was going to mention...is if you didn't send off...and pay the fee for your sons "Official Certified Birth Cert" after he was born...you didn't have a certified bc anyway...Not saying that you didn't send off for it....just wanted to mention that the hospital copy that you recieve after the birth of a child from the hospital is not a certified copy. Some people don't realize there's a diffrence.

But again...I'm glad your getting it sooo fast.

 

[Dana_Buckley]

I'm thinking I may never have had one, I guess? Everything like that I keep in the fire safe lock box and when I went to get everything, it wasn't there! I was shocked. I really don't know where else it could be. So, maybe I never had it to begin with. Oh well, all is better now! Thanks everyone again for your calming support.

 

[pppiglet]

Glad everyone was able to help you. I ordered ours last August for our cruise next June and filed them away in my "cruise box". I did not want to wait til the last minute and panic!

 

[la37]

I went to get my birth certificate from my file cabinet and it was just the paper from the hospital. I'm 37 years old and have never had an official copy before although I didn't realize it until now. My parents didn't send for it when I was a child and apparently everyone including my college accepted the hospital paper. I live in Kentucky and here we have to get birth certificates from the capital(not the county office). Since I do not have time to order it by mail(30 days) or over the internet with credit card(up to 3 weeks), I have to travel to the capital to get it. They assured me that once I get there, it will only take about 10 minutes but it takes about 2 1/2 hours to get there!! They also said that anyone that has a birth certificate that is older than 10 years old has to get a new one or might not pass through customs. When I questioned this, they said this was a new rule since 9-11.

 

[scrapperjill]

DId you get that information from the Capitol? I thought we had to go to the capitol also (Washington)..but was happy to find out that we just had to drive down town to the county records department. Same thing for Califorina...we went to a records department there to obtain DH bc...

Well at least it's just a day trip away.

 

[cwf1028]

Am I understanding the 10 year thing correctly. If my copy is more than 10 years old I have to order a new one? Both my husbands and mine are more than 10 years old. Anyone else heard of this?

 

[scrapcreator]

My husband & I both have birth certificates that are MUCH older than ten years old and we didn't have a problem on our 10/16/04 cruise.

I couldn't find dd's official/raised birth certificate either, so I ended up making a very last minute trip to the County Hall of Records.

Glad you found a way to get yours quickly. Enjoy your cruise

Jeanne

 

[Dana_Buckley]

la37, where in KY do you live? My husbands family lives in Florence. That is where I will be for the week before our cruise. Just thought you might live nearby.

 

[PhotoLisa]

Passports expire every 10 years. I've never heard of a certified birth certificate ever expiring for travelling.

 

[HooKooDooKu]

It's not that the Birth Certificates expire after 10 years, it's that the State Department want's to see a copy that is less than 10 years old.

10 years ago, our world wasn't as automated as it is today and the methods of certifying copies of birth certificates have varied. For example, the "original" copy that my parents recieved when I was born does not have a raised seal. It was "certified" by virtue of a colored stamp, the idea being if someone tried to make changes and cover up the changes by running it through a photo-copier, you'd know it's not original because the certification stamp would no longer be colorized. Obviously such a document would not be considered as secure today because of the advent of high quality color copiers and printers.

So (and I'm guessing here) because things have becomed a little more standardized in the world today, as a method of cutting down on phony "certified" birth certificates, the State Department wants copies that are "younger" than 10 years.

 

[la37]

This 10 year rule may not be the same everywhere. I just know about Kentucky. I talked to the office of vital statistics in Frankfort,Ky. That is where my information came from but it could be different from state to state. A simple call to your states office of vital statistics should tell you if the 10 year rule applies in your state. The only reason that I posted about my experience is that it may help someone else to be prepared. I hope this helps.

 

[surfdisney]

Just a quick FYI -

When you get a copy of your certified birth certificate, get several (we ordered 5-6 copies when each of our kids was born). We keep one at home for everyone, and the extras in the bank box. That way you don't need to repeat the hassle of tracking them down every few years - and if one is lost or destroyed it's no big deal.

Have fun on your trip