How to Fax a Birth Certificate

Your birth certificate is one of the most important documents you own.

Birth Certificates are important documents that validate a person's birth and serves as a record of his or her true identity. Governments and employers often require birth certificates to obtain a passport or employment. As such, it is very important to keep track of and protect your birth certificate. If you are sending a birth certificate to another individual via fax machine, you must ensure it ends up at the right location.

Instructions

1. Clear the birth certificate of dust or debris. It is important a clear copy is faxed to avoid any problems identifying information.

2. Write a cover letter to the person receiving the birth certificate. Include the name of the person, their fax number, your contact information, and how many pages you are faxing in addition to the cover page. This will help ensure the birth certificate is delivered to the right individual.

3. Call the person you are faxing. Ask that they remain near the machine so no one else sees or accidentally takes the birth certificate.

4. Place the birth certificate in the fax machine according to the instructions on the machine. Some machines require you place pages face up or face down.

5. With the recipient still on the phone, dial the fax number and double check it is correct by reading the fax number aloud to the recipient.

6. Press "Send" and await the confirmation page. The confirmation page will print once the fax has been completed, notifying you whether or not the fax was successfully sent.

7. Ask the recipient to ensure they received the birth certificate and that all wording and images are clear and acceptable.

Tips & Warnings

• Use the original birth certificate to minimize flaws on the faxed copy.

• Depending on the type of fax machine, you may get a verbal confirmation instead of a printed confirmation page.

References

• How to Fax: Suggestions for Sending a Professional Fax