Birth Certificate – United States

In the United States, birth certificates are issued by the vital records office of the state where the birth took place and, in some states, by the county. The certificate gives the person's name, date and place of birth, details about the parents and the registration references, and carries the registrar's seal and signature.

When do you need it translated?

• A residence permit application at the préfecture

• Getting married at your town hall (mairie) or entering a PACS (civil partnership)

• Applying for French nationality

• Recording the birth of a French national's child in the French civil registry (transcription)

• University enrolment or registration with French social security

Our translation

Everything on the document is translated: form fields, stamps, the seal, signatures, security wording and any corrections or annotations. Layouts differ from one state to another and have changed over the years, and some versions are retranscribed certificates or county records rather than copies of the original entry. That is why the catalogue lists so many versions: pick the one matching the state and the period your certificate comes from.