It’s important to keep a copy of your birth certificate around, just in case. However, it’s also one of the easiest documents to lose since you don’t need it very often. Your desk can get shuffled around, it can get lost during a move…and unless you double-check its whereabouts periodically, you’ll have no idea that it’s lost until you actually need it.
If you need a passport quick, not being able to find your birth certificate can be a significant roadblock. However, there are ways to get a passport quickly even if you don’t have your birth certificate available.
Do You Need a Birth Certificate to Get a Passport?
Maybe not. If you are eligible to renew your passport by mail, your old passport is all you’ll need.
How Can You Get a Birth Certificate Quickly?
The most straightforward way to get a birth certificate quickly is simply to go down to the Office of Vital Statistics where you were born. However, if you’ve moved from that location, this is probably not an option for you.
Instead, you can order a copy of your birth certificate online at VitalCheck.com. They can get you your birth certificate within a week.
Of course, if you need your passport quickly, you may not be able to wait that long. In that case, you can request that the State Department confirm your citizenship for you by submitting a Request for File Search form. Submit this form with your passport application and a separate $60.00 check made out to the US Department of State, and they’ll search for your files for you.
If you need to get a passport in a hurry, a private passport expediting company is an invaluable resource. Visit our website to see how easy it is to get a passport quick!
Tags: birth certificate, Passport application process, passport quick
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do all your services only cost $99.00 whether it be a renewal, lost or stolen passport or first time?
February 25th, 2009 at 6:27 pmHi Pat,
We offer several different options depending on how quickly you need your passport. Our standard service starts at $99.00, and that’s the same whether it’s a renewal, a lost or stolen passport, or the first time. You can view the different options and their corresponding prices here.
However, that cost is for our service only, and does not include government fees. You can find those here.
Thanks so much for commenting, and I hope this helps!
February 26th, 2009 at 12:42 pmCan I get a passport if I have a Bad Conduct discharge from the Us military for possesion of Marijanua
April 28th, 2009 at 9:20 pmHi Jeffery,
In all likelihood, yes. Usually, an American citizen can get a passport as long as they don’t owe back child support, don’t have an existing warrant or court order, and aren’t on parole or probation with restrictions against leaving the country.
May 6th, 2009 at 11:18 am[...] However, for 86-year-old Katherine Young, getting passport service wasn’t that easy. When she applied for a passport, she had long ago lost her birth certificate. Usually, this is not a problem-you can simply purchase another copy from the Department of Vital Records in the state you were born in. Or, if you are in a big hurry, you can pay an extra fee to have the Department of State look up your birth record for you. For more information, see How to Get a Passport Quickly Without a Birth Certificate. [...]
December 27th, 2009 at 4:05 pmhi i have a big problem i need to fly in less than two months
February 2nd, 2010 at 4:18 ami dont have a birth certificate cuz i dont remember my moms maiden name and
none of my family lives in america at the moment can you help ? need answer
asap please and thank you so much for helping
If you are traveling out of the US, you definitely need a passport. First, have you ever had a US passport before? If you have an expired US passport in your possession, you may be able to renew it by mail, without a birth certificate.
If not, you can try applying using a combination of secondary documents to prove your US citizenship. Go here for the details. The problem is that most of these documents may be harder to track down than your mother’s maiden name would be.
If you’ve ever been issued a US passport before, you can also try requesting a file search as described in the article.
I hope this helps!
February 3rd, 2010 at 11:27 pm