What Type of Birth Certificate am I Applying for?

If you are applying for a birth certificate for a particular agency or organization, it is best to check with them to determine what type of birth certificate they require from you.

Short Form

This includes basic information such as:

• Name (last name and given name(s))
• Date of birth
• Certificate number
• Birthplace
• Sex
• Date of registration
• Registration number
• Date issued

Long Form (Certified)

This contains all registered information, including:

• Name (last name and given name(s))
• Date of birth
• Birthplace (city, town, village, municipality)
• Sex
• Location of birth (hospital, birthing centre, etc.)
• Parents' names
• Parents' dates of birth
• Mother's mailing address at the time of birth
• Duration of the pregnancy
• Number of children born to this mother
• Parents' birthplaces
• Weight of the child at birth
• Type of birth (single, multiple, etc.)
• Attendant at the birth
• Date of registration
• Registration number
• Date issued 

It is provided in the form of a certified copy.  You may need a certified copy if for example:

• You are moving to another country
• You are an executor for a foreign estate
• You are adopting a child abroad
• You are filling out certain citizenship or immigration documents

Confirmation Letter

This is a letter confirming whether or not a birth registration is on-file. If you do not know the exact date of the birth, choose an approximate year of birth and write it in the space provided for the date.  We will search for a birth that exactly matches the person’s name and the other information provided, for that whole year, plus two years before and after, for a total of five years.