“Make Sure It’s Real”; Health Department Tips On Identifying Official Birth Certificates

Tips on spotting a real “Birth Certificate” versus a souvenir come from the Wyoming Department of Health after receiving multiple calls from folks who presented unofficial paperwork when applying for a new driver's license. Last year the Department of Transportation started calling for additional official I.D when applying for a driver's license and a birth certificate is the most common form.

Department of Health Spokesperson, Kim Deti says to avoid frustration at the drivers license service desk you can spot the official document by looking for a couple things.

"They (official birth certificates) have state file numbers up in the top right corner, city and county of birth, rather than the name of the hospital. They'll show the birthplace for the mother and father, and no matter how old they are they're gonna be issued on security paper."

Deti says the unofficial certificates often have baby footprints on them, a gold seal from the hospital and will not be on security paper.

For people born in Wyoming, certified copies are available from Vital Statistics Services, which is part of the Wyoming Department of Health. For more information or to order a certified birth certificate in Wyoming, please go http://www.health.wyo.gov/rfhd/vital_records/birthcertificate.html online, call 307-777-7591, or visit the office in Cheyenne at 2300 Capitol Avenue on the first floor of the Hathaway Building

Individuals born in other states can find where to get certified birth certificates by visiting http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/w2w.htm