Community Chat

[patbz]

Sometimes getting a copy of a birth certificate is a big deal. My older son (my husband's son from first marriage) was born in Korea while my husband was stationed there (therefore he had an embassy issued birth certificate).  Many years later he needed a copy of this document (which only is allowed one extra copy per lifetime).  I had to get my Congressman involved and this copy literally took months to obtain.

[chrystaltree]

Where I live, you print the application off from the website and go into one of the VS offices with a check or money order.  They go in the back and 10 minutes later, they come back with a certified copy.  You do have the option filling out the application while you are in the office.  All the records are in a data base now.  

[software]

Are  you in your state of birth?

In Alabama, you go to any local Health Department and it gets printed out while you wait, short wait.   Takes you longer to park.

If you are ordering from another state to your birth state, I'm sure it takes time.

DH ordered his from CA while in AL, what a mess, took about a month but most of the employees had be furloughed due to budget shortages or only working parttime.

I had to order one out of state when the laws changed after 9/11 when the original, certified birth certificate issued 61 years ago was invalid.   This was about 5 years ago

From AL to CT took about 2 weeks.    

[Sooner]

So how much taxes do you want to pay for birth record searches?  It is very expensive to get lots of back records online, most states are working with understaffed offices and extremely tight storage space.

It's not about how quick you want something, it's about how much more tax would you like to get it there? Or pay a private company, which isn't going to be cheap.

[CalminHeart]

Imagine how many people have submitted requests for birth certificates, death certificates, and all kinds of records.  And governments aren't staffing like they used to.  

I requested a birth certificate a few years ago and it took over 2 months.  

[Peaches McPhee]

I'm curious if older birth certificates are computerized. Did someone computerize all the old certificates from a century ago?  I picture someone having to look through old boxes .

[mimomof4]

I have order both Certified Birth Certificates and Marriage licenses from the State of Michigan multiple times.  I don't think it took 4 weeks either time to get the documents.

When you paid online, did your state require you to go through some verification questions to prove identity?  Mine did.  

[CelticCrafter]

Did you try to do an actual follow up with anyone - not just an on-line status check?