Quick answer

For a first passport, a child's passport, or a lost, stolen or damaged one, you need a certified U.S. birth certificate, issued by the city, county or state where you were born, plus a photocopy. Hospital certificates, photocopies and some short "abstract" versions aren't accepted. You can usually order a certified copy from your state's vital records office or the local office, and in-person service is often fastest.

What the State Department accepts

A certified birth certificate that shows:

  • your full name at birth;
  • your date and place of birth;
  • your parents' full names;
  • the registrar's signature;
  • a raised, embossed, multicolored or impressed seal;
  • the date it was filed with the registrar's office, normally within one year of your birth.

When we handle your application, the original comes back to you with your new passport, in the same package. If you apply by mail directly with the State Department, it's usually returned separately from the passport. Send a clear photocopy of the front and back with the original.

What isn't accepted

  • Hospital birth certificates or souvenir certificates, even if they have footprints and a seal.
  • Photocopies or notarized copies on their own.
  • Short or abstract versions that leave out details such as your parents' names. Some states issue these by default, so ask for the full or long-form certified copy.
  • Damaged certificates, or ones that have been altered.

If your certificate was filed late

A birth certificate filed more than a year after you were born is called a delayed certificate. The State Department may ask for extra evidence with it, such as early public records showing your birth in the U.S. (for example a baptismal record, early school record or census record).

Born outside the U.S.?

If you're a U.S. citizen born abroad, use your Consular Report of Birth Abroad (FS-240), your Certificate of Citizenship, or your Certificate of Naturalization instead of a foreign birth certificate.

How to get a certified copy fast

  1. Find the right office. Every state's vital records office issues certificates, and in many states a county or city office does too, often faster. Your state's page lists the office, the fee, who can order and how long it takes.
  2. Go in person if you can. Many local offices issue certified copies the same day.
  3. Order online or by mail if you can't go in person, through the state's official ordering option, and pay for faster shipping if your trip is close.
  4. Ask for the full, certified copy suitable for a passport.

What it costs: fees vary by state. Our Passport Access Report compares the first-copy fee in every state.

Who can order a birth certificate

States limit who can order a certified copy, usually to the person named, their parents, and sometimes other close relatives or legal representatives, each with ID. A few states restrict access more tightly. Your state's page explains its rules.

Questions

No. It isn't an official record. You need the certified copy from the city, county or state vital records office.

Find your state's birth certificate office