(a) Except as otherwise provided in Secs. 570.9 and 570.10, a
certificate of age which shall have the effect specified in Sec. 570.5
shall be issued only upon application of the minor desiring employment
or of the prospective employer to the person authorized to issue such
certificate and only after acceptable documentary evidence of age has
been received, examined, and approved. Such evidence shall consist of
one of the following to be required in the order of preference herein
designated:
(1) A birth certificate or attested transcript thereof or a signed
statement of the recorded date and place of birth, issued by a registrar
of vital statistics or other officer charged with the duty of recording
births.
(2) A record of baptism or attested transcript thereof showing the
date and place of birth and date and place of baptism of the minor, or a
bona fide contemporary record of the date and place of the minor's birth
kept in the Bible in which the records of the births in the family of
the minor are preserved, or other documentary evidence satisfactory to
the Administrator, such as a passport showing the age of the minor, or a
certificate of arrival in the United States issued by the United States
immigration office and showing the age of the minor, or a life-insurance
policy: Provided, That such other
documentary evidence has been in existence at least 1 year prior to the
time it is offered as evidence: And provided further, That a school
record of age or an affidavit of a parent or a person standing in place
of a parent, or other written statement of age shall not be accepted
except as specified in paragraph (a) (3) of this section;
(3) The school record or the school-census record of the age of the
minor, together with the sworn statement of a parent or person standing
in place of a parent as to the age of the minor and also a certificate
signed by a physician specifying what in his opinion is the physical age
of the minor. Such certificate shall show the height and weight of the
minor and other facts concerning his physical development which were
revealed by such examination and upon which the opinion of the physician
as to the physical age of the minor is based. If the school or school-
census record of age is not obtainable, the sworn statement of the
parent or person standing in place of a parent as to the date of birth
of the minor, together with a physician's certificate of age as
hereinbefore specified, may be accepted as evidence of age.
(b) The officer issuing a certificate of age for a minor shall
require the evidence of age specified in paragraph (a)(1) of this
section in preference to that specified in paragraphs (a)(2) and (3) of
this section, and shall not accept the evidence of age permitted by
either subsequent paragraph unless he shall receive and file evidence
that reasonable efforts have been made to obtain the preferred evidence
required by the preceding paragraph or paragraphs before accepting any
subsequently named evidence: Provided, That to avoid undue delay in the
issuance of certificates, evidence specified in paragraph (a)(2) of this
section may be accepted, or if such evidence is not available, evidence
specified in paragraph (a)(3) of this section may be accepted if a
verification of birth has been requested but has not been received from
the appropriate bureau of vital statistics.
