Public Records in Florida: What You Need to Know About Birth Records
One of the most commonly requested public records in Florida is birth records. It’s easy to see why. Everyone was born, and consequently, everyone is going to need a birth certificate at some point or other. You may not need it very often, but on the few times you do, it’s going to become REALLY important that you have it.
People need their birth certificates for a variety of reasons. Registering for school, getting a passport, and getting a Social Security card all to require proof of date and place of birth. You may also need your birth certificate to get married (depending on how old you are), change your name, and get a driver’s license. A birth certificate is frequently used as identification for several different types of government interactions, so you want to be sure you have yours handy.
Unfortunately, many people lose their birth certificates. This can happen through moves, divorces, theft, or just plain carelessness. Let’s face it, since your birth certificate isn’t something you get out and look at very often, it’s easy to misplace.
That’s where public records in Florida comes in. Birth certificates are considered public records in the state of Florida, but their availability is restricted. According to state law, only the person listed on the certificate or their parents can have access to it until 100 years after the recorded birth. After that, anyone can get a copy, and you don’t even have to be related.
If you need to get your Florida birth certificate, you’ll have to go down to the court house in the county in which your birth took place and request a copy. Be sure to bring your driver’s license or some other form of official picture identification to prove you’re the same person on the certificate, or the court clerk won’t give you a copy. Bring some money to pay for the copy, too. Courts in Florida typically charge between $1 and $10 for a birth certificate, so you might want to call ahead to find out how much it will cost you.
If you can’t get to the county court house in person, you can order a copy from the Florida Department of Vital Statistics, once you supply proof of your identity. You may also be able to order from the county court house through the mail (call them to see if they’ll do it).
If you need to get a lot of old birth certificates for family history research purposes (or whatever purpose you have in mind), you may end up writing to or visiting a lot of court houses. You can save time There are many websites online that have been designed for the purpose of allowing online consumers to perform public record searches. Search on the Internet also offers access to death, marriage, driver’s license, and other public records all over the United States, and you can get those records delivered to your computer.
