Monday, October 29, 2012

Birth Certificates

Not all documents described as “birth certificates” are truly the official birth certificates needed to prove identity according to a Wyoming Department of Health official.
“Folks trying to renew or obtain driver’s licenses are finding that a hospital birth certificate will not work to prove identity,” said Jim McBride, Vital Statistics Services program manager. “Unfortunately, these are essentially souvenirs.”
The Wyoming Department of Transportation started to require official proof of identity for driver’s licenses in 2011 to be consistent with federal security regulations. Official birth certificates are the most common document accepted to prove identity.
“We would like to help people avoid a frustrating visit to their local Driver Services office,” McBride said.
Tell-tale signs of souvenir hospital birth certificates include:
· There are baby footprints on the document.
· The mother or father’s finger print is on the certificate.
· There is a gold (or other color) seal from the hospital.

Official birth certificates, McBride said, include these features:

· A state file number in the top right corner.
· It will show city and county of birth, rather than the facility name.
· Shows the birthplace for the mother and the father.
· Shows the date of birth or age at the time of birth for the mother and the father.
· Shows a date issued at the bottom.
· Regardless of how old the certificate is, the record will be issued on security paper.

For people born in Wyoming, certified copies of their official birth certificates are available for $13 from Vital Statistics Services, which is part of the Wyoming Department of Health.
For more information or to order a certified birth certificate for those born in Wyoming, please go http://www.health.wyo.gov/rfhd/vital_records/birthcertificate.html online, call 307-777-7591, or visit the office in Cheyenne at 2300 Capitol Avenue on the first floor of the Hathaway Building
Individuals born in other states can find where to get certified birth certificates by visiting http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm.

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