Certified Birth Certificate for a U.S. Passport Application
Applying for or renewing a passport and told your birth certificate doesn't qualify as proof of citizenship? Here's what's actually required.
Start My RequestWhy passport applications get delayed
Passport applications are routinely delayed because applicants submit a photocopy, a hospital souvenir certificate, or a certificate missing required details. The U.S. State Department only accepts a certified copy — one bearing the registrar's signature, an official seal and the filing date — as primary evidence of citizenship.
What a passport application requires
- Full legal name, date of birth and place of birth
- Both parents' names as recorded at the time of birth
- The state or local registrar's seal and signature
- Issued by the vital records office of the state (or city, in some jurisdictions) where the birth occurred, filed within the state's timely-filing window when possible
How California Birth Certificates helps
We help you request a certified copy from California's vital records system, so you have the document passport agencies actually accept for your application packet.
Other reasons people request a certified birth certificate
Important Information
- This website is operated by California Birth Certificates, a private company, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or operated by the State of California or any federal, state, county, or local government agency.
- Our service provides online assistance and processing support for eligible requests. Government agencies may provide similar services directly.
- Any government-issued certificate is issued by the applicable government authority, not by our company.
- Any service fee charged by California Birth Certificates is separate from applicable government fees.
Our services
One document, one simple process
We help you prepare and submit your California birth certificate request correctly the first time.