US birth certificate online

In many occasions, American expats living abroad need to order a US birth certificate online. This article guides you through obtaining a US birth certificate online that is accepted by French institutions.

US birth certificate requirements in France

To be valid in France, a US birth certificate has to meet some of the following requirements:

• issued within the last 6 months
• translated in French by a certified translator (in some cases)
• apostilled (in some cases)

US birth certificates vs French birth certificates

A birth certificate is a vital record. The other types of vital records are death certificate, marriage certificate and divorce certificate. There are 3 different kinds of French birth certificates.

• extrait d’acte de naissance avec filiation: extract of a birth certificate with filiation (parent’s detailed information).
• extrait d’acte de naissance sans filiation: extract of a birth certificate without filiation (no parent’s information).
• copie intégrale d’acte de naissance: exact copy of the original birth certificate.

There are only 2 kinds of birth certificates in the United States:

• long-form birth certificate: exact copy of the original birth certificate.
• short-form birth certificate: shorter version of the original without the parent’s information. The information recorded on the short-form certificate varies depending on the state though, so check beforehand.

Always order a certified copy because an informal copy has no legal value.

Most French institutions require birth certificates that are less than 3 months old. The reason is that French birth certificates are amended with major life events such as marriage, divorce, birth of a child, Pacs…

Certificates of live birth vs birth certificates

A certificate of live birth is a non-official document issued by the hospital where a baby is delivered and it can’t be used to prove someone’s identity. Certificates of live birth are produced right after a baby’s birth, before the official birth certificate has been issued. When you are asked for an “acte de naissance” in France, this means that you should get a long-form birth certificate.

The extremely confusing part though is that in California for instance, birth certificates embed a certificate of live birth and the text “Certificate of live birth” appears on an official birth certificate.

What does a US birth certificate look like?

If you’re wondering what a US birth certificate looks like, here’s a US birth certificate sample from California.

Order a birth certificate from your state of birth

For Americans born in the United States, state government vital records offices issue copies of vital records. To request a copy of your birth certificate, contact the vital records office in the state where you were born. The process and the cost are different depending on your state. The cost is usually around $25. Some states (like California) let you order online, while other states require that you mail in your application.

The vital records office will not sent your American birth certificate to France but you can give them a friend or family member’s address in the United States. This trustworthy person can receive your birth certificate and Fedex it to you. This is the most cost-effective solution if you can ask the help of someone living in the United States.

For Americans born abroad, you can get a copy of your Consular Report of Birth Abroad from the U.S. Department of State.

Order a birth certificate from Vital Check

For a faster delivery, you can order a birth certificate online from Vital Check instead of your state of birth. Vital Check is a government-approved service with (much) higher processing fees but you should get your vital record faster. To give you an idea of the price, ordering a birth certificate from California and shipping it to France with UPS costs $78.

Notarize an American document from France

Some states (such as California) require that you include a notarized sworn statement with your birth certificate application form. You can use notarize.com to notarize a U.S. document online for $25 per document. You’ll have to provide proof of your identity and go through a series of (tricky) questions to prove that you are the person you claim you are. Once your ID has been verified, you sign your sworn statement in front of a notary on a video call.

Another way to notarize a U.S. document from France is to schedule a notarial appointment at the U.S. embassy in Paris. If you’re not near Paris, try scheduling a notarial appointment at the U.S. consulate in Marseille or Strasbourg.

Apostille

What’s an apostille?

An apostille authenticates the seals and signatures of officials on public documents for use outside of the United States. Apostilles are used with foreign countries that are members of the 1961 Hague Convention Treaty (like France).

Any public document issued by a federal agency or certified by an American or foreign consul can be apostilled.

Do you need an apostille?

Most of the time, French institutions do not require an apostille with your U.S. birth certificate. There are two occasions though when you do need to get an apostille:

• getting married or PACSed
• applying for French naturalization

How to get an apostille?

Getting an apostille is fairly easy and inexpensive when you live in the United States but ordering an apostille from abroad is more challenging.

Great tip!
Before moving abroad, order a couple of birth certificates and get them apostilled. You will be glad you have them on hand later on. Do not translate your birth certificates beforehand though. Have them translated in France when you need them, that way the translation’s date is recent.

To request an apostille for your birth certificate, select your state of birth on the National Association of Secretaries of State website. An apostille costs around $20 and there are also some additional handling fees. Some states like California give you the option to get an apostille at the same time you order your birth certificate.

Getting an apostille from France is a little challenging since there is no straight forward way to have your apostilled document mailed abroad. Using a friend’s address in the United States is the most cost effective solution. Another option is to call your Secretary of State Apostille’s services and ask them if they will use a pre-paid Fedex return enveloppe that you include with your application.

French certified translation of a US birth certificate

French institutions sometimes require a certified translation of your birth certificate. For example, when applying for a carte de séjour (residence permit), some French préfectures request a certified translation of your birth certificate, while others accept a non translated certificate. To find out if you need a translation, call your local préfecture.

Some CPAMs in France also require a certified translation of your US birth certificate when you apply for carte Vitale.

The translator you pick must be certified with a French jurisdiction (Cour de cassation or Cour d’Appel). A list of sworn translators is available at every local town hall or on the Cour de Cassation website. The price for a certified translation is around €50.

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of finding and contacting a sworn translator, you can use Translayte or TranslateSwift. These translation agencies are reliable and they provide certified translations from English to French by a sworn translator for around $55. If you need a certified translation asap, Translayte and TranslateSwift provide a speedy 12 hours delivery for an extra fee.

I hope this article helped you order a US birth certificate online. To learn about the different kinds of documents you’ll need in France, read French documents – Justificatifs.