Birth Records and Age Search Service
BIRTH RECORDS
The U.S. Census Bureau does not issue birth certificates,
nor does it keep files or indexes of birth records. These
are maintained by the vital statistics offices in the states
or areas where the births occurred. Addresses for each state’s
vital statistics office may be obtained from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services or check your
local telephone directory.
When applying for social security or a driver’s license,
the individual who does not have a birth certificate must
prove that none exists from the state where he or she was
born. Therefore, the individual should obtain a statement
to that effect from the vital statistics office and use it
in conjunction with other documents (such as a census transcript).
However, a census transcript is an acceptable piece of evidence
when applying for a delayed birth certificate.
Notification of Birth Registration
The “Notification of Birth Registration” form,
issued by the U.S. Census Bureau during the first half of
the twentieth century, is not a birth certificate. The U.S.
Census Bureau designed this form in 1924, at the request of
various state vital statistics offices, to promote the accurate
registration of births in the United States. The notification
was completed and sent to parents of newborns when the state
office of vital records received information on the birth
and made up a birth registration record. If parents found
errors in the information shown on the form, they were asked
to correct them and return the form so the state’s record
could be corrected accordingly. The notification was used
until the late 1940s and then discontinued once states were
keeping satisfactory birth records. The U.S. Census Bureau
does not maintain these records. Certified copies of birth
records must be obtained from the vital statistics office
where the event occurred (contact information for states'
vital statistics offices is available from the National
Center for Health Statistics).
Civilians abroad
Upon request, the office below will furnish a certification
of birth to U.S. citizens born abroad provided the birth was
reported to the American consular office in the country where
the birth occurred. The U.S. Department of State issues certified
copies of the Report of Birth Consular (FS-240). To request
copies of the FS-240, write to Passport Services, Correspondence
Branch, U.S. Department of State, 1111 19th Street, NW, Suite
510, Washington, DC 20522-1705. Send a check or money order
for $40.00 per document. The above procedure should also be
followed if the birth took place in a U.S. Armed Forces hospital
overseas.
If the birth was not registered with the consular office,
application should be made to the National Personnel Records
Center, 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63132-5100, or telephone
314-263-3901.
U.S. Army facilities
The National Archives has records of births at U.S. Army
facilities in the states and territories for 1884-1912, with
some records dated as late as 1928. It will search the records
if provided with: name of child, names of his/her parents,
place of birth, and month and year of birth. Military Service
Records in the National Archives of the United States, GIL
No. 7, Rev. 1985, has details. The leaflet is available free
of charge from Publication Services, National Archives and
Records Administration, Washington, DC 20408, telephone 800-234-8861.
If the birth took place in a U.S. Armed Forces hospital stateside
after 1912, write to the vital statistics agency in the state.
Certification of birth in an adoptive name.
U.S. citizens born overseas, should apply to the Passport
Office, U.S. Department of State, for a Consular Report of
Birth in the new adoptive name. To obtain a report in a new
name, send a written request, the original Consular Report
of Birth, or if not available, a notarized affidavit about
its whereabouts. Also, send a certified copy of the court
order or final adoption decree which identifies the child
and show the change of name with the request. If the name
has been changed informally, submit public records and affidavits
that show the change of name.
Birth (occurring stateside) certificates in an adoptive name
may be requested from the state vital statistics office where
it was registered. To register an adoptive child, the adoptive
parent must apply to the state where the person was born and
submit a copy of the court decree.
Alien children.
The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in Washington,
DC 20536 will furnish birth 14 U.S. Census Bureau certificates
of alien children adopted by U.S. citizens and lawfully admitted
to the United States if the birth information is on file.
To obtain the birth data, it is necessary to provide the Immigration
Office with proof of adoption or legitimation. A Certification
of Birth Data may be obtained from any INS office (the nearest
one will be listed in the telephone directory).
Age Search Service
Users requesting their own census records or those of other
family members should contact the Census Bureau's Age Search
Service. You can contact this service at http://www.census.gov/genealogy/www/agesearch.html.
The only information relating to an individual that the Census
Bureau might maintain would be in the records of the censuses
of population taken every 10 years. Many people who
do not have birth certificates do request copies of their
information collected in the censuses; these copies can be
used as proof of birth in the absence of a birth certificate.
These records are not covered by the FOIA, but the census
law authorizes the release of census information under very
specific conditions. Thus, an individual may obtain or authorize
release of his or her own census information. The law directs
us to collect a fee to cover the cost of providing this information
and, unlike the FOIA, does not authorize us to waive payment.
For more information on obtaining Birth Records or the Age
Search Service, please consult the Census Bureau Publication
Age
Search Information (POL/00-ASI, July 2000).
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