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Passport Applicants Need Birth Certificate with Parents’ Names: New State Department Regulation Takes Effect on April 1

Union County Clerk Joanne Rajoppi reports that beginning on Friday, April 1, all United States birth certificates submitted for minor or adult passport applications must contain the name of the parent or parents in addition to the previous requirements.

“According to the State Department, birth certificates that do not include the name of the parents will not be acceptable as evidence of citizenship,” Ms. Rajoppi said.

The criteria for a birth certificate to be acceptable when applying for a U.S. passport include:

  • Show the full name of the parents;
  • Be issued by the office of vital statistics of the state, county, or city where the birth occurred;
  • Show the full name of the child at birth;
  • Indicate the date and place of birth;
  • Bear the embossed, impressed, multi-colored, or seal and signature of the issuing authority;
  • Indicate a registration or file date that is within one year of the birth; and
  • Be an original and certified document (notarized photocopies are not accepted).

 

“As of April 1, United States birth certificates that do not meet these standards will not be accepted by passport application acceptance agents,” Ms. Rajoppi added.

Passport application forms may be obtained at the Union County Clerk’s main office, 2 Broad Street in Elizabeth, and at the County Clerk’s office annex, 300 North Avenue East, in Westfield. Applications for passports and related information also can be found online at www.ucnj.org/government/county-clerk/passports

U.S. citizens may also obtain passport information by phone, in English and Spanish, by calling the National Passport Information Center toll-free at 1-877-487-2778.

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For more information on any Union County press release, please contact Sebastian D’Elia, Communications Director for the County of Union, or a designee listed at the top of this press release. Please join the County of Union online at www.ucnj.org, on Facebook at www.ucnj.org/facebook, and on Twitter athttp://twitter.com/countyofunionnj.