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Vital Records: Uses & Reminders
Vital records are public records concerning births and deaths, as
well as marriages and divorces. These records are filed in the county, state,
territory, or the commonwealth in which the events took place.
Original vital records may be
kept in any of the following places:
- State archives
-
County/parish/borough recorders
- Courthouses
- Libraries
- Church records
-
Historical/genealogy societies
- Funeral home
records
- Private
collections
Vital Records:
What They're Used For
Both government-maintained and
privately run, third party websites offer certified copies of vital records for
a fee. Fees range anywhere from $37 to 92, with government websites generally
charging less.
Access in many areas will still
require that you use the postal system to get certified copies of vital records,
although a great number of indexes are searchable online.
Following are the different
uses of these certified copies.
1. Birth Records
- To enter the
school system
- To get a
driver's license
- To get a
passport
- To trace birth
parents
- To trace
genealogy
- To travel to
Canada, Mexico, etc.
- Other personal
reasons
2. Death Records
- For social
security purposes
- To claim
insurance benefits
- For estate
planning
- To execute a
last will and testament
3. Marriage
Records
- To validate an
insurance beneficiary
- To claim
insurance payments
- For other
legal purposes
Note: A marriage
license is only sometimes available through a government agency, not a third
party website.
4. Divorce
Records
- For insurance
purposes
- For legal
reasons
- For medical
purposes
- For religious
reasons
Vital Records: 7
Things to Remember
1. Fees vary
across locations, but all search agencies (private and public) will NOT return
your payment even if the search turns up no record.
2. Refunds are
only given if the “no record” result is due to a mistake on the part of the
search agency.
3. A search
greatly depends on the information you can provide, which will affect the
processing time and even the fee you will be charged.
4. Government
agencies that perform vital records searches will generally require you to
explain the purpose of your request in an attached letter.
5. Government
search requests also generally require a self-address stamped envelope be
enclosed along with your payment.
6. Some states
accept personal checks and credit card payments, while some do not. Others only
accept money orders. Check your state's Health Department or Vital Records
website for the most convenient payment mode.
7. Both
government and third party searchers often require proof of your identity before
they process your request. You can usually comply with this by photocopying a
government issued ID card, such as a driver's license or voter's ID. However,
some requests require that you produce other documents (e.g., legal
authorization, relationship proof, etc.).
Warning: It is a bad idea to
photocopy your Social Security Card or bank documents and send it through the
mail.
Finally, don't hesitate to
pick up the phone. Some vital records websites are extremely detailed in their
instructions and so loaded with information that it can be easy to miss
important points. Also, details aren't always updated (e.g., payment modes), so
making that call can speed up processing time.
RecordsSiteReview’s
Birth Records page contains all the information you need about vital
records. Check the site out now.
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