Birth Certificate

[barashka 97]

Hello, folks!

 

I have a personal question that is unrelated to immigration. So, if someone or somewhere requests your original birth certificate (for example, the DMV or a potential employer), what would you do if you lost it? I know that state vital records offices provide certified, stamped copies of original birth certificates. Would that suffice as an original birth certificate or be equivalent to one? I mean, life happens so we lose things or they get destroyed, et cetera. What do you guys think?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Crazy Cat 39,183]

3 minutes ago, Dee elle said:

Yes you get another from the original issuing agency. It can be confusing with the words used.. original in this case means one issued by the authorised government authority... not a copy which is usually a photocopy .. but then it could also be called an original copy.. which is the same as an original not a photocopy 😬😳

Well stated.   I re-worded my intended post 3 or 4 time in an effort to explain it...........I almost said "A certified copy is almost as good as the original"......lol

[barashka 97]

Just now, Dee elle said:

You get another from the original issuing agency. It can be confusing with the words used.. original in this case means one issued by the authorised government authority... not a copy which is usually a photocopy .. but then it could also be called an original copy.. which is the same as an original not a photocopy 😬😳

Right....LOL. So, an original can also mean one issued by an authorized government authority, right? Because, if your original one from the day of your birth is lost or destroyed, you technically can never get an original again? If that made any sense, ahaha. Basically, I guess what I am essentially asking is whether or not the original from an authorized government authority still constitutes as an original? For example, I know you need your original birth certificate to get a U.S. Passport. Would the original that you get afterwards from the authorized government authority allow you to get a U.S. Passport? By the way, I am asking this on behalf of a citizen of the United States.

[Hypnos 6,576]

You only ever receive a certified copy. The absolute original copy remains on-file with the custodian of the record. This is not something that you can take, because it's a government record and not for you. A copy certified by the custodian of the record to be functionally equivalent to that is generally accepted everywhere it needs to be, but it shouldn't be confused with the original, because it isn't the original, it's a certified copy.

[barashka 97]

Oh, I see. So, even the one that is lost is not the actual "original" original. The general public is only given a certified copy of the original, which is accepted as an original wherever needed, basically? I am sorry if I sound confusing. Everybody here has been super pleasant, prompt, and helpful!

[Dashinka 23,199]

13 hours ago, Hypnos said:

You only ever receive a certified copy. The absolute original copy remains on-file with the custodian of the record. This is not something that you can take, because it's a government record and not for you. A copy certified by the custodian of the record to be functionally equivalent to that is generally accepted everywhere it needs to be, but it shouldn't be confused with the original, because it isn't the original, it's a certified copy.

Absolutely, no one ever has the original, so if someone is asking for an "original" version, they really are asking for an officially certified copy.