Guides
Plain answers to the questions that come up when you need a certified record, built on federal rules and each state’s own published rules.
- Birth certificate for a passportWhat the State Department accepts and how to get a qualifying copy fast.
- Birth certificate for REAL IDThe documents a REAL ID needs and which birth certificate counts.
- Long form vs short formAbstracts, long-form copies and which one an agency wants.
- VitalChek and other ordering servicesWhen a vendor is the state’s own channel and what it adds to the cost.
- How many death certificates you needWho asks for a certified copy after a death, and extra-copy fees.
- Who can order a birth certificateClosed and open records, and who the states name.
- Who can order a death certificateFamily, executors and funeral directors, state by state.
- Birth certificate without IDThe alternatives states accept when you have no photo ID.
- Certified vs informational copyWhy an informational copy cannot be used to prove identity.
- Order from another stateHow to order a record from a state you no longer live in.
- Heirloom birth certificatesDecorative certificates: which states offer them and what they cost.
- Delayed birth certificatesRegistering a birth that was never recorded.
- Birth certificate for a home birthRegistering a birth outside a hospital.
- Consular Report of Birth AbroadProof of citizenship for children born abroad to U.S. citizens.
- Marriage license vs certificateWhich document comes first and which one agencies ask for.
- Divorce certificate vs decreeTwo different records from two different offices.
- Are vital records public?When birth and death records open to the public.
- Fastest way to get a birth certificateSame-day offices, expedited orders and overnight shipping.
- Death certificates for an estateWhat executors and administrators need and how to order.
Where to start
Need a birth certificate for a passport appointment? Start with which birth certificate a passport needs, then the fastest way to get one. Settling an estate? Read death certificates for an estate and how many copies to order. Not sure which office holds a record? Use the office finder.
Every guide cites the federal agency or state office behind each rule, with the date we checked it. We explain the rules; we do not give legal advice, and the office that issues a record decides each application.