Is a Birth Record the Same As a Birth Certificate?

A birth certificate is a birth record documenting some or all the following information about a newborn child (depending on the country and state):

- Birth name

- Sex

- Date and time of birth

- Names and occupations of the child's parents

- Birth weight

- Birth length

- Place and location of birth

- Name of the informant who is registering the baby's birth

- Date of birth registration

- A registration number

The physician or midwife of the mother, or a hospital administrator is responsible for the preparation of the official birth certificate, as well as for its filing with the proper government agency. Typically, the government will keep the actual certificate, however, certified copies or representations of the birth certificates can be provided to the parents of the child.

Within the United States, there are two forms of birth certificate. These are the long forms and the short forms.

The long forms are also called book copies, certified copies, or Photostat copies. These are exact copies of the child's original birth record, created at the birth of the child. It will generally include the race, place of birth, address, and date of birth of the parents. It will also include the birthplace of the child and the names of the doctors who assisted in the child's delivery. At least one parents, as well as the doctor will usually have signed the long form of the birth certificate.

These forms are created by the U.S National Center for Health Statistics, however, each state is entitled to create their own forms as well, which must be completed by a hospital administrator or attendant, who sends it along to the local or state registrar where the records are stored so that certified copies may be issued upon request.

As the Electronic Birth Registration systems are becoming so popular, it is anticipated that long form birth certificates may become obsolete in only a few short years. This will make accessing copies of this information much more practical for those who need it.

On the other hand, the short form is what is also known as computer certification, but is not yet universally available.

Tags: documenting sex date weight length