Birth certificate Facts for Kids

Mary Elizabeth Winblad (1895-1987) birth certificate

A birth certificate is a very important official paper. It's a record that shows when and where a person was born. Think of it like a special document that proves you exist and when your birthday is! It's one of the first official documents you get in your life.

What is a Birth Certificate?
- What Information Does It Show?
- Who Creates It?
Why is a Birth Certificate Important?
- Proving Your Identity
- Other Uses
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Images for kids
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What is a Birth Certificate?

A birth certificate is a type of vital record. This means it's a government document that records important life events. These documents help governments keep track of their citizens. Birth certificates are usually prepared shortly after a baby is born.

What Information Does It Show?

A birth certificate usually includes several key pieces of information about the new baby and their parents. This information helps to create a clear record of the birth.

Here are some things you might find on a birth certificate:

The baby's full name
The exact date and time the baby was born
Whether the baby is a boy or a girl
The place where the birth happened (like a hospital or home)
The names of the baby's parents
Sometimes, the jobs or occupations of the parents
The baby's birth weight and length
The name of the person who reported the birth (like a doctor or parent)
The date when the birth was officially recorded
A special number, like a registration or file number

Who Creates It?

Most countries have rules about how births are recorded. In many places, it's the job of a doctor, a midwife, or a hospital worker to fill out the official birth certificate. They make sure all the details are correct.

Why is a Birth Certificate Important?

Your birth certificate is a very important document throughout your life. It's often needed for many different things as you grow up.

Proving Your Identity

While a birth certificate itself doesn't have your photo, it's a key document for proving who you are. It shows that a birth happened at a specific time and place. Later on, you'll use it to get other forms of ID, like a passport or a driver's license. These documents often require your birth certificate as proof of your identity and age.

Other Uses

You might need your birth certificate for many reasons, such as:

Enrolling in school
Applying for a passport to travel to other countries
Getting a social security number or similar identification
Signing up for sports teams or clubs
Getting your first job
Applying for college

It's a good idea to keep your birth certificate safe, as you'll need it for many important steps in your life.

Other pages

Images for kids

An Australian Capital Territory birth certificate.
A Quebec long-form birth certificate.
A short-form Northwest Territories certificate of birth (in card format), bearing the Inuktitut language.
An Indonesian birth certificate issued in 1996, using traditional authenticating signature and stamp
An Indonesian birth certificate issued in 2019, using QR codes certified by Indonesian Electronic Certification Authority
A California long-form certified copy of a certificate of live birth. This particular copy is for informational purposes only.
An Arizona certificate of foreign birth for a person born in Mexico, stating that '[it] is not evidence of U.S. citizenship'.
A 1967 Singapore certificate of registration of birth, without indication as to citizenship status.
A 1979 Singapore certificate of registration of birth, indicating the child was a citizen of Singapore at birth.
An undated Singapore certificate of registration of birth, indicating the child was not a citizen of Singapore at birth.
A 2015 Singapore certificate of registration of birth, issued to mark Singapore's 50th anniversary.'
A sample Singapore certificate of extract from register of births.
A Jubaland birth certificate.
A Mogadishu birth certificate.
An old Somaliland Protectorate birth certificate.
A long-form birth certificate.
A short-form birth certificate.
A long-form adoptive birth certificate.
An Armed Forces birth certificate.
An airborne birth certificate.
A marine birth certificate.
A Northern Irish birth certificate.
A Guernsey birth certificate.
A Jersey birth certificate.
An Isle of Man birth certificate.
A consular birth certificate.
A State Department certification of birth abroad, issued prior to 1990.
A State Department certification of report of birth, issued between 1990 and 2010.
A State Department consular report of birth abroad, issued beginning 2011.