| Every person born in the U.S. gets a birth certificate | | | | request a copy of the certificate you need. Your |
| and social security number, establishing his or her | | | | state can give you a true, certified copy of your |
| name, age, birthplace and U.S. citizenship. Citizenship is | | | | birth certificate for a low fee of $20.00 or less. This |
| automatically granted to those born in the U.S. | | | | method can take longer than using a third party site, |
| Sometimes a birth certificate is needed as proof of | | | | but it can save you money. If you want to get it |
| citizenship, for instance, when applying for a driver's | | | | quickly and easily, you can order it online for $25.00 |
| license, social security card, or certain types of | | | | to $60.00, depending on which site you use. Ordering |
| employment. | | | | online can help speed up the process, usually taking |
| There are other reasons why you might need a | | | | approximately 2 to 10 days to ship. |
| certificate as well, such as genealogy research or | | | | You still have to follow state guidelines even when |
| background checks. It gives you vital information | | | | you order online. You may have to send in additional |
| about an individual such as the name of the baby | | | | documents such as a signed release or driver's license |
| born, the full names of the parents, birth date and | | | | to verify your identity. Many sites allow you to fax |
| birth place. Some birth certificates provide other | | | | or mail these documents instead of transmitting them |
| information as well, like the physical addresses and | | | | over the internet. Unfortunately, you can't get free |
| birthplaces of the parents. This information can help | | | | copies of birth certificates anywhere - not even |
| you learn a lot about an individual you are researching. | | | | online. Because all states charge for these records, |
| There are several ways you can go about getting | | | | there is no way a third party website can get them |
| your birth certificate. The least expensive way is to | | | | to you for free. Because of this, plan to spend at |
| contact your state's office of vital records and | | | | least $25.00 to order a birth certificate online. |