Obtaining an Alabama Birth Certificate – FAST!
Do you need a copy of your Alabama birth certificate and have looked everywhere that you thought this all-important document could be – and still have no luck in finding it? What are your options?
A certified birth certificate is an essential credential because it is often considered one of only a few forms of valid, acceptable forms of identification when applying for –
- A Passport
- A Driver’s Learner Permit or a Driver’s License
- A Social Security Card, to name just a few
Birth certificates in Alabama, like every other state, are issued and maintained by an Alabama state-run agency, a governmental managed organization that history has shown — tends to operate a pace that is slower than the movement of molasses in winter.
Fortunately, in today’s modern tech-heavy 21st-century society, there are streamlined, at-your-fingertip online options that speed up what is usually a process that can take weeks or months – to receive the birth certificate you need today!
A birth certificate, according to Alabama law, is considered a confidential, restricted, and official document that is issued, at least since 1908, from the Alabama Center for Health Statistics. Before the Alabama Center for Health Statistics was established, the preservation of an Alabama family’s genealogy (i.e., momentous events like births and marriages, etc.) was recorded and maintained by trusted family members, or, if it was even available, an affiliated religious organization.
The state of Alabama’s law cites the following legalities regarding birth certificates issued in Alabama –
- The access period for an Alabama birth certificate is restricted for 125 years. The access period begins from the date of birth.
- Effective May 2017, each request for a certified copy of a birth certificate for an individual born in Alabama must be accompanied by proper identification (ID) as defined by the Alabama Department of Public Health (DOH).
- The following individuals have the authority to request a birth certificate after the service-request fee is paid–
- The individual referenced on the document.
- A parent, or the legal guardian or legal representative of the person referenced on the document.
- A spouse of the person referenced on the document.
- A sibling or child of the person referenced on the document.
- A child of the person referenced on the document.
At a time when you have a certified copy of your birth certificate in your possession, make a few copies and place the original certified copy of your Alabama birth certificate in a secure place – a location that will also be safe in the event of a flood, a hurricane, or a fire.
