Ok well this may sound silly but I never picked up either of my childrens birth certificates. Since I had their social security cards I never needed their certificates. I did get certified copies of the certificates just recently however is there a way to get the originals (not just a certified copy) after 5 years? I sound like a terrible parent I just never needed them since having their social security cards has been enough to get what I needed and so on.
I have both the orginal and certified copies on hand for my kids and they are the same. The only other thing I can think of is the keepsake one which is not legal. You can order it online.
go online the Texas website and there should be a tab for birth/death certificates and you can get one there... if not just check with Tarrants' website and i'm sure you can find it there too. i just got my son's from the state.
I just recently went through this for school and soccer registration. You can get the long form at the courthouse in the county in which your child was born. I did this for the oldest child, and they had a VERY quick turnaround. They processed it that day and I had it in the mail within about a week from when I mailed off the request (printed off the internet)and payment. For the second child, I found out you can have it printed at any county records office in Texas if the child was born in texas. Costs the same, but is the very basic one. I believe it is equally official. This took truly about 5 minutes from the time I filled out the form and gave it to them.
To the best of my knolwdge that is all that you can get is the certified copy. The state keeps the original. And No you are not a terrible parrent. You just didn't need to have it so you didn't get it. That is pretty much how the majority of us are. In my house until we needed it it was juist another peice of papper for me to loose. 2 1/2 year latter I haven't lost it yet but i wouldn't put it past me. Or better yet for the 1 year old or 2 yer old to find them and think that they are something yummy to eat.
Contact the States Vital Statistics Office where your child was born. You can get the number from information or online. You can request the certificates over the phone and pay by credit card.
The only birth certificate that may be considered an "original" would be the commerative/keepsake certificate that hospital puts the footprints on and is not good for any legal purpose. It is just for show, usually hand written at the exact moment of birth and signed by the delivering physician. I would guess you could go back to the hospital and they may handright you out a duplicate, but you can never get those footoprints back again. If not several websites sell commemorative birth certificates you can purchase and fill in as a substitute. Hope this helps.
The original birth certificates are normal at the county office base on the counnty that ur child was born in. without going to the hospital where ur child was born at as well. normally the only thing that you can get is a copy from the orinigal birth certificate anyway hope this was hopeful to you.
If they were born in TX, you can go to your local court house and they can be printed out.
I'm surprised they didn't send you the originals when your child was born. Ours came by mail. I think the certified copies are exactly the same as what they sent us. I just looked at my child's and his has a certified emblem on it. You may want to check with the county clerk where he was born and ask this question. Sorry I couldn't be any more help than this. Goodluck.
You can get copies of certified certificates through the state. Many city offices including Grapevine and Bedford offer the service. You might also try calling the hospital where your children were born for a refresher on their original instructions. Both of my daughters were born at Harris Methodist HEB and they discharged me with instructions and a map on how to get there! I'm sure they would be glad to help.
I don't think there is a way to get the originals unlike your marriage certificate. I think certified copies are the way to go.
My daughter and son were born in Dallas county. I contacted the Vital Statistics office and filled out a form with a check by mail. It was a pretty quick turn around. With my son (step) we didn't need his until he was going into kindergarten and they accepted the one from the hospital with their footprints but only on a temp. basis. My daughter who was born 2 years ago, I had to get in contact with that same office again. Turns out you should pay for it in the hospital before you check out or we all end up going this route. Don't feel bad
I believe that everyone gets a copy of the birth certificate with the raised seal to verify its authenticity. Only recently did I even realize that TX had two types of birth certificates. I had one that I received from the city (with a raised seal) that I had used all her life. When she applied for a passport, we were told she needed the "long" one (aquired by the state).
If you have the copies with a raised seal, that is all you need. Put that in a file and hang on to them because you'll need them on occasion. I needed them for school when they were enrolled and to register them for soccer.
M.
