What Do You Need for a Baby's Birth Certificate?
When your baby is born, one of the first forms you will fill out is the birth certificate. This vital document will be required for most official records including obtaining a Social Security number, obtaining a passport, and enrolling your child in school. While birth certificate forms will vary by state and country, some basic common information will be required.
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Name
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The birth certificate must list the baby's name. If you have not yet decided on your child's name, you can fill in Baby Boy or Baby Girl as the name, and change it later. Changing a name on the birth certificate usually requires a visit to the courthouse and occasionally a nominal fee.
Parents' names
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The birth certificate will require the mother's full name. Some require a maiden name if the mother is married. Since some women will remarry over the course of their lifetime, having a document with the maiden name noted can be helpful. The father's name should be listed on the birth certificate as well. Many states have laws preventing the father's name from being listed if he is not present to sign the birth certificate. In some cases, the father's name will be left blank and can be added officially at a later date.
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Date of birth
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The birth certificate must list the official date of birth of the child and include the day, month and year.
Place of birth
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The location of the birth, city and state and occasionally county, is required for the birth certificate record.
Official seal
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No birth certificate is considered official until it has been annotated with an official seal from the records office. Many families will receive an unofficial copy of the birth certificate from the hospital, which will list all relevant information. This unofficial copy cannot be used to obtain government documentation, however. You will have to obtain an official copy of the birth certificate to use it as a form of identification for your child.
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References
- Photo Credit newborn image by jodi mcgee from Fotolia.com
