Identity
Birth Certificate
A birth certificate is the government-issued record of a person's birth — name, date and place of birth, and parents' names — issued by the vital records office in the state, territory, or county where you were born. A certified copy with an official seal is the foundational identity document used to get a passport, Social Security card, driver's license, and more.
Written & maintained by the Granite team · Last updated June 2026
Overview
Your birth state or territory's vital records office issues birth certificates. Only a certified copy — bearing a raised or printed official seal — is accepted to establish identity for legal purposes; an informational copy carries a legend marking it 'not a valid document to establish identity' and won't work for a passport or Social Security.
Because it's the breeder document behind every other ID, a birth certificate is requested at major life milestones for decades. Replacing one means a request to the issuing office (online, by mail, or in person), so keeping a certified copy on hand saves real time.
When you’ll get your Birth Certificate
- You're applying for a passport, REAL ID, or Social Security card
- You're enrolling a child in school or sports
- You're proving citizenship for a job or benefit
- You need it for marriage, a name change, or settling an estate
- You requested a certified copy to replace a lost one
What’s on your Birth Certificate
These are the fields Granite reads and extracts automatically the moment you upload one.
- Full Name
- The name recorded at birth.
- Date of Birth
- The exact birth date on the official record.
- Place of Birth
- City, county, and state of birth.
- Parents' Names
- The names of the parents as recorded.
- Certificate / File Number
- The vital records office's identifier for the record.
- Official Seal
- The raised or printed seal that makes the copy 'certified' and legally accepted.
How long to keep it
Keep a certified copy permanently in a safe place; store a digital copy for reference.
A birth certificate is needed at irregular, high-stakes moments across a lifetime — passports, REAL ID, estate matters — and a certified replacement takes time and a request or trip to the issuing office. Keeping a certified original secure and a digital copy findable means you're never stalled when one is suddenly required.
How Granite handles your Birth Certificate
Granite reads your birth certificate — name, date and place of birth, parents' names, and file number — and files it with your identity documents under encryption. When you're suddenly asked for it (a passport application, a school enrollment, settling an estate), the digital copy is one search away, and you know exactly where the certified original is kept.
FAQ
Birth Certificate: common questions
- What's the difference between a certified and informational birth certificate?
- A certified (authorized) copy bears an official raised or printed seal and can establish identity for passports, Social Security, REAL ID, and other official uses. An informational copy carries a legend reading 'Informational, Not a Valid Document to Establish Identity.' When an agency asks for your birth certificate, they almost always mean a certified copy.
- What is the easiest way to get a copy of your birth certificate?
- Contact the vital records office in the state, territory, or county where you were born — most offer online, mail, or in-person ordering for a fee. You'll need to know the city and county of birth and prove your identity and relationship to the record. Many states route online orders through an approved vendor like VitalChek.
- What documents do you need to get a birth certificate?
- You generally need a valid government-issued photo ID and proof of your relationship to the person named on the record. Certified copies are usually limited to the person on the certificate, their parents or legal guardian, or someone with a valid court order. Exact requirements and accepted IDs vary by state, so check your vital records office first.
- What is a birth certificate used for?
- It's the foundational identity document used to obtain a passport, Social Security card, driver's license, or REAL ID; to enroll in school or sports; to prove citizenship for work or benefits; and for marriage, name changes, and estate matters. Because so many other documents depend on it, it's requested throughout life.
- How long should I keep my birth certificate?
- Permanently. Keep a certified copy in a secure place and a digital copy for quick reference. It's needed at unpredictable, high-stakes moments across decades, and replacing a certified copy requires a request to the issuing office that can take days to weeks — so having one on hand saves significant time.
Sources
This page is checked against primary and authoritative sources:
Keep your Birth Certificate in one place.
Drop it in once. Granite reads it, files it, and makes it findable forever — by you today, and by the people who'll need it later.