Is a 'Certificate of Birth Registration' the same as a 'Birth Certificate' in NYC? My husband and I are about to travel with our 18 month old twins and need ID for them. We just noticed that it says "Certificate of Birth Registration" on the document. There is no raised seal. We don't remember what they mailed us 3 weeks after we got the twins home or if the mailed us anything at all. It was all such a blur! My confusion stems from the fact that I myself also have a 'Certificate of Birth Registration' from NYC and I recently ordered a copy of my birth certificate and the one they sent did not have a raised seal but it only said "birth certificate" at the top. I've tried calling Vital Records all I get is a recording and I've called 311. Help! Does anyone know??? Thanks in advance :)
Registering the birth and a birth cert are usually not the same, although I am not positive about in NY. My boys were born in the UK, and we had to register their birth with the British birth records office, and than had to send away for their actual birth certificate, and than get a separate one for proof of an American Birth abroad. It was a pain.
They are not the same, you will have to send in for a birth certificate for the twins. However, I have traveled with my kids many times and have never been asked for ID for either of my children.
No they are not the same. You have to send for an official copy of the birth certificate. They are just notifying you that a birth has been registered. It should say somewhere on that form that it cannot be used as a birth certificate.
Also, we've traveled many times within the U.S. with our kids and have never had id for them and have never been asked for any.
I'm pretty positive they aren't the same thing.
I work in the maternity ward and register the births on the state computer system. They get a receipt showing that they have applied for a social security number for their baby (if they do apply). It takes a few weeks, but in our county in California, the parents have to go to the Department of Public Health to pick up and pay for the original official birth certificate. The social security cards are sent in the mail.
I would contact the medical records department of the hospital where your twins were born. They should know exactly where you need to go to get their official documents.
Best wishes.
