Birth certificates are documents issued by state governments to officially declare a person’s full name, gender, and date, time, and place of birth. It serves as a legal form of identification that helps establish your eligibility of citizenship. Such a document not only helps in obtaining a driver’s license, passport, and social security but also allows you to reap benefits associated with retirement, disability, and Medicare. Read on if you’re looking to obtain a new or a copy of your original birth certificate.

Getting a state-wise birth certificate
An important aspect to note is that the procses of issuing a birth certificate in the country is decentralized. This means there is no national or federal registry that overlooks the process of issuing this document. Instead, the federal government has set some guidelines that are required to be followed by the states when processing birth certificates. Applicants from respective states follow specific procedures to obtain birth certificates. Here are some common steps involved in applying for a birth certificate:

• Printing, filling, signing an application form that can be downloaded from the official state website.
• Preparing the application form for shipping and including an official proof of identity or a notarized signature.
• Those who are not the subject of the application are required to submit the proof of eligibility. Such individuals are required to electronically submit the application and send the package to the relevant office via mail to the states’ bureau of vital records.

Application fees and processing times
The application fees and processing time of birth certificate vary between different states. It also varies on the basis mode of submission. For instance, the application fees for an Arizonan birth certificate is $20 and the processing time for the same is four to five weeks. Obtaining a California birth certificate requires an application fee of $25; the processing time for year of birth 1905-1964 varies from four to six weeks, while that for people born after 1965 is two to four weeks. Alternatively, you can check the following two organizations to obtaining a birth certificate with ease:

• US Birth Certificates
  This organization is not affiliated, owned or operated by any government agency. US Birth Certificates helps in preparing vital records for application and does your part of leg work of obtaining application forms. You can order the birth certificate for your respective state in just five minutes, thereby avoiding long queues at government offices.

  The in-house experts at US Birth Certificates will review your document and you will an error-free revised application with a set of instructions regarding the supporting documents. Following the instructions and mail your application to obtain your certificate without having to visit any government office.

  US Birth Certificates ensure 100% secure data protection. This means your online birth certificate forms remain encrypted. As some states require applicants to provide photo ID to obtain a certified photocopy of birth certificate, US Birth Certificates provides all the information pertaining the same and how to go about it. Its Standard Service only obtains electronic form that can be downloaded from the Health Department State Office, where the vital record was issued. You will be given personalized instructions on how to submit the form and solve your queries if any through their 24/7 multilingual customer service. Premium Services will file a vital certificate on customers’ behalf, and they will receive an original certified copy.

• VitalChek®
  VitalChek is a government authorized resource for online vital records ordering. It offers a quick, affordable, and reliable way to ensure that your documents are handled and processed securely.

  VitalChek ensures fast turnaround as it is affiliated with the government. All you need to do is enter details like name, date of birth, and state and city you were born. VitalChek will process the information and charge fess based on the place of birth. Once paid, your process will be processed within a couple of days, and you will receive your birth certificate in a couple of weeks. The service is typically for those are looking to obtain a copy of their birth certificate.

Making changes in a birth certificate
In some birth certificates, there might be instances of typos or other discrepancies. In such cases, every county, state, or municipality has a process in place that allows applicants to place a request for changes. The correction could be as simple as changing a birthdate or name. You must keep in mind that while most states allow changing names and birthdate, very few will allow changing gender. Hence it is important to contact the respective state, county or municipality before deciding certain details on birth certificate. The same cane be done through services like VitalChek®

Getting a birth certificate copy
Requests for a obtaining copy of a birth certificate are more common than making changes in one. But requesting for a copy also entails following some protocols set by the state, county, or municipality. The requests can be made on the official state website or through the use of services provided by the likes of like US Birth Certificate and VitalChek®. Obtaining a copy of birth certificate requires applicants to pay nominal fees.