# Any reason I'd be screwed by not having my own birth certificate? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 23, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171 "2012-07-23T21:37:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/1 "2012-07-23T21:37:11Z")
I’m not planning to run for president. 😃 My estranted parents are moving, and my mother emailed me that she has “some important papers” that she didn’t want to either mail to me or leave at my home. I know she’s doing this to force my hand about not wanting to see them. I can’t think what else she has besides by birth certificate. I have my own passport - expired, because I’m a dingus - and my own Social Security card. Think I’m forgetting anything? And the most important question: what would be the ramifications if I never got my mitts on my own birth certificate? Is it significant in any way that I was born in a different country? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/2 "2012-07-23T21:39:31Z")
Are you in one of the states that are imposing voter ID laws? ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/3 "2012-07-23T21:40:41Z")
As long as you know what state you were born in you can get a certified copy of your birth certificate. Assuming you had one in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/4 "2012-07-23T21:40:53Z")
I can’t imagine not wanting to have one’s own birth certificate easily accessible. I don’t recall the last time I needed mine, but at this very moment, it’s in a folder about 18" from where I’m sitting, and if I need it, I’ve got it. Altho I always thought having to present a birth certificate was kind of silly. I’m no longer 6 lbs 8 oz… ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/5 "2012-07-23T21:43:30Z")
I’ve been ok without mine so far. Nobody’s asked me to prove that I was born. Just where I currently live, which isn’t where I was born. Also, who I currently am, which is established by a myriad of other ways. Birth certificates lose their usefulness after the child is old enough to establish his own identity. Actually, since birth certs don’t have genetic markers on them for comparison to the child in question, there’s really not much they’re good for. Baby footprints? Come on… ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/6 "2012-07-23T21:44:45Z")
if you were born in the U.S., you can almost always get a copy of your birth certificate if you don’t have the original. I don’t know where you were born or what the procedures are there but that certainly complicates things. I can’t think of any reason why you would need a birth certificate if you have a passport. A passport is one of the only forms of ID that can stand alone for id verification for things like employment or any other practical matter. Your is expired but an expired one can be renewed just by filling out the application, paying the fee, and mailing in the old one if it has expired in the past few years (5 is the limit I believe). You can keep this from ever presenting a problem by keeping your passport valid. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/7 "2012-07-23T21:46:02Z")
if you were born in the U.S., you can almost always get a copy of your birth certificate if you don’t have the original. I don’t know where you were born or what the procedures are there but that certainly complicates things. I can’t think of any reason why you would need a birth certificate if you have a passport. A passport is one of the only forms of ID that can stand alone for id verification for things like employment or any other practical matter. A birth certificate requires secondary id to be presented as well. Your is expired but an expired one can be renewed just by filling out the application, paying the fee, and mailing in the old one if it has expired in the past few years (5 is the limit I believe). You can keep this from ever presenting a problem by keeping your passport valid. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/8 "2012-07-23T21:50:51Z")
As a passport agent, I discovered that the vast majority of my customers believed that cute little piece of paper from the hospital is an official birth certificate. It is not. Your state (or county or city) government responsible for vital statistics (birth, marriage, divorce, etc.) records is the outfit that provides the official birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![steviep24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5f9b8f/32.png) [@steviep24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steviep24)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/9 "2012-07-23T21:53:00Z")
A certified birth certificate (besides being proof of age) is a proof of citizenship so it’s a more important document than you think. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/10 "2012-07-23T21:54:07Z")
One simple reason: to prove to a potential employer you are eligible to work in the USA. Yeah, yeah, you have an expired passport. But it’s _expired_. A potential employer cannot accept expired documents. Sure, you can solve that problem by getting your passport renewed. Or just use your birth certificate. As other have said, you can apply for a copy of your birth certificate. But in all likelihood, that still requires additional documentation to prove who you are, and if you are foreign-born, the rules for obtaining a copy might be a royal pain. If your estrangement is that strong, start the process for obtaining a copy of your birth certificate right now. You might find the temporary pain of seeing your parents much less of a hassle than getting a copy of your foreign birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/11 "2012-07-23T21:57:44Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > As long as you know what state you were born in you can get a certified copy of your birth certificate. Assuming you had one in the first place. Yes, exactly. Assuming you were born in the United States, your original birth certificate is on file at a state. county, or local registrar’s office. Your mother, at most, has a certified copy. [You can order your own certified copy](http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm), usually for around $5 to $20 which is just as good as her certified copy. If you were born outside of the United States or your birth was not registered or some other unusual circumstances surround your birth, then your mother might have an original or hard-to-find document that you might need someday. If you are in the United States, when you apply for Social Security or Medicare benefits, they are going to want to see your birth certificate (or some other combination of funky old documents). If you ever move out of state, they are probably going to want to see it to issue you a new drivers license or state ID card. And you will need one to get a US passport. I know it seems silly, but with all the political hysteria about illegal aliens, a birth certificate is becoming a nuisance that you have to deal with and I’m sure that as time passes it will be required in more and more places. Your mother might also have other papers. For example, if you are Catholic and want to be married in a Church, it would be handy to have your baptismal certificate. **Oops** I’m sorry I missed the part about your being born in another country. It might not be easy to find the right place to get a copy if you need it in the future, depending on the government bureaucracy that’s in place where you were born. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/12 "2012-07-23T22:08:37Z")
Here’s a question. Is it possible to _transfer_ your birth certificate to a different jurisdiction? For example, if you were born in Maine but have lived in California for the past 30 years, can you get your birth certificate refiled in California (but still listed as being born in Maine) so that you can obtain copies at your local government office rather than mailing away for them across the country? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/13 "2012-07-23T22:09:49Z")
I’m sorry I screwed up my first answer by overlooking the fact that you were born in another country. Even though you have a Social Security card, when it is time to actually apply for benefits, [they will ask you to produce a birth certificate](http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/applying5.htm). ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/14 "2012-07-23T22:14:06Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > Here’s a question. Is it possible to _transfer_ your birth certificate to a different jurisdiction? For example, if you were born in Maine but have lived in California for the past 30 years, can you get your birth certificate refiled in California (but still listed as being born in Maine) so that you can obtain copies at your local government office rather than mailing away for them across the country? No. But there are procedures to get birth certificates by mail, even nowadays. ---
**Author:** ![kob09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ebca7d/32.png) [@kob09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kob09)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/15 "2012-07-23T22:20:38Z")
here in France you need your birth certificat constantly… for any official papers I have to do for my kids school for example they want his and my birth-certificate same to get a passport from the german embassy or an ID card from the french gov. you can get a copy of the birthcertificate in the town you were born; as mentioned before, often by email these days ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/16 "2012-07-23T22:21:12Z")
> [@Uber\_the\_Goober](#): > > Birth certificates lose their usefulness after the child is old enough to establish his own identity. > [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Altho I always thought having to present a birth certificate was kind of silly. I’m no longer 6 lbs 8 oz… > [@Shagnasty](#): > > I can’t think of any reason why you would need a birth certificate if you have a passport. You need a birth cert to apply for Social Security (start getting benefits) or to get a passport, I think. If you have a passport, that suffices for a Social Security app. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/17 "2012-07-23T22:27:20Z")
I was able to get mine and my son’s via mail. I ordered it online. I think I paid $40 both times. It was easy. I needed my SSN (if that) and had to sign something. ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/18 "2012-07-23T22:51:35Z")
If you are a US citizen by virtue of being born abroad to American parents then you also need a copy of the [Consular Report of Birth Abroad](http://travel.state.gov/passport/get/first/first_825.html). Arguably it is more important than the birth certificate. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/19 "2012-07-23T22:59:48Z")
Nope, my parents naturalized when I was a kid. (They were citizens of the country of my birth at the time of my celebrated arrival onto this planet.) Thanks for the SS benefits info - that’s exactly the kind of stuff I’m trying to learn. (I didn’t need my birth certificate the last time I applied for a passport … ) ---
**Author:** ![Iggy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iggy/32/3364_2.png) [@Iggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iggy)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171/20 "2012-07-23T23:14:32Z")
Then you might need your/their [naturalization certificate](http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextchannel=db029c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD&vgnextoid=a910cac09aa5d010VgnVCM10000048f3d6a1RCRD) if you don’t have a copy. ETA: Of course not relevant if you were actually born stateside. I’m not clear on that. ETA2: I must have short term memory problems. You said you were born in another country. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-id-be-screwed-by-not-having-my-own-birth-certificate/629171.md?page=2)