Birth Certificate
Articles tagged Birth Certificate from The VRO Blog.
Certificate of Foreign Birth: The U.S. Birth Certificate for an Internationally Adopted Child
Your child is a U.S. citizen but was born abroad, so no state recorded the birth. A Certificate of Foreign Birth fills that gap — and it explicitly is not proof of citizenship.
Accents, Tildes and Hyphens: Why Your Name Is Different on Every Document You Own
José on the birth certificate, Jose on the Social Security card, JOSE on the passport. Here is why systems drop diacritics, which mismatches matter, and how to fix them.
Social Security Says You're Dead: How the Error Happens and How to Get It Reversed
Benefits stop, accounts freeze, and the fix runs through a field office that will only accept originals or agency-certified copies. Here is what to bring and what to ask for.
Enhanced Driver's Licenses: The Five States, and the One Trip They're Actually For
An EDL is a driver's license that also proves citizenship at a land or sea border. Five states issue one, and it will not get you on an international flight.
The 250th Anniversary Passport: How to Get One, and Why You Have to Show Up in Person
The commemorative passport costs no extra and is a fully valid passport, but it is issued only in person. That single constraint is what most applicants are unprepared for.
Utah Just Launched the First Full Digital Apostille — and Birth Certificates Are Excluded
Utah now issues e-Apostilles delivered by email. Vital records are the one category left out, which means a Utah birth or death certificate still travels on paper.
When Does a Vital Record Become Public? State Access Windows for Family Researchers
Some states open birth records after 75 years. One waits 125. Others never use a clock at all. Here is how the three models work and what several states actually do.
Virginia Adoptees Can Now Get Their Original Birth Certificate Without a Court Order
House Bill 301 took effect July 1, 2026, removing the court-order requirement for adult adoptees born in Virginia. Here is what changed and how the new request works.
TSA's $45 ConfirmID Fee: What It Costs to Fly Without a REAL ID, and the Cheaper Fix
TSA now charges $45 to attempt identity verification for travelers without acceptable ID. It buys ten days and an attempt, not a solution. Here is what it actually gets you.