How to Locate a Birth Certificate
Find your birth certificate by consulting the state or county government where you were born. In most states, birth certificates are private, not public, information, so only you, your guardian or your parent may apply to receive a copy. In some localities, certificates issued before a certain date can be acquired by anybody. When ordering, make sure that you use an official government webpage to avoid scams, unless the state itself has contracted with a company like VitalCheck.com to distribute the certificates.
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Instructions
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Consult the state agency responsible for birth certificates by searching Google using your state's name and the search terms "birth certificate". An official government webpage will have an address ending in .gov. Wisconsin's agency is called the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and Iowa's is called the Iowa Department of Public Health: Bureau of Health Statistics. Your state should have an agency with a similar name.
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Verify that you qualify to request the certificate. These restrictions vary; for example, in Kane County, Illinois, only the person, the parent or the legal representative of the person may apply, while in Wisconsin a spouse or domestic partner, a child of the person, or someone trying to protect property or personal rights can apply
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Send in the application with the appropriate identification, usually a photo identification from the state in which you reside, and include the fee. Most states will sell you official and unofficial, commemorative birth certificates, so if you need the real thing, make sure you are ordering one that is embossed and stamped by the state.
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Use a for-profit company like VitalCheck.com, which, for a $5.50 fee, allows you to order birth certificates online from many states. In Illinois, if you try to order from within the state's webpage, you are kicked to Vital Check. There, you will need to answer a series of questions relating to where you were born and your identity before you can order. The Vital Check fee is in addition to the state fee.
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Order your certificate from the county of your birth. For example, in Kane County, Illinois, you need to send in a completed Birth Certificate Request Form, a photocopy of your driver's license or state identification card, and a check for the fee, which is $11.00. You can use the mail or walk in, and also can use Vital Check.
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Before placing an order, ask your relatives, especially your parents or guardians, if they still have the original certificate.
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