Birth Certificate Guide: What It Is and Why You Should Get One

Birth Certificate: What information does it provide? Can I request this document online?

The birth certificate is the declaration of a public official attesting the birth of a natural person.

Its existence dates back to the 16th century, although it was only in the 19th century that the information contained within it was used for health purposes.

In this guide you will be able to know what is its content? what is meant by birth certificate ? why is it required? if you can submit your request online? and the difference between birth certificate and birth extract?

If you are interested and want to know the answers to the previous questions, you just have to continue reading this post.

Birth Certificate: What is it?

For birth certificate we mean a document containing data on the birth of an individual. In particular, the birth certificate contains information regarding the place and date of birth, year, sex and name of the child .

Why is a birth certificate required?

Requesting a birth certificate allows the newborn to legally belong to the State and have his rights recognized.

Birth certificate, who issues it?

You may be wondering who holds this document? Who issues it? Who should I contact? The birth certificate is issued by the municipality of birth. If the applicant is resident abroad, the issue will still be given by Place of birth and not of the citizen's residence .

This means that if you were born in Milan but live in Sicily you will necessarily have to go to the Municipality of Milan and not to the Sicilian Municipality. The latter will certainly not have the document in question. The only body that can issue you the document will be the Municipality of birth, or, in this case, you will necessarily have to contact the Municipality of Milan.

You can make the request at any time.

Birth certificate with paternity and maternity

If you need to certify not only the name, surname, etc. of the unborn child but also the personal details of the parents, you will have to ask for the release of a birth certificate . This last document will certify not only the child's information but will also report the name and surname of the parents, therefore, you will surely find additional information compared to the birth certificate.

The request must always be submitted to the Municipality of birth.

If the document refers to an adult, additional information will also be included, that is, any notes relating to marriage, separation and/or divorce.

How to request it?

The request can be made in different ways, that is, by going in person to the counter of the Municipality of birth, or alternatively, and if you also wish to avoid any queues, conveniently online (click here to receive your birth certificate in just a few clicks) .

If you do not have time to go to the Town Hall in person or simply live abroad, you can evaluate the convenient, fast and safe service Fastvisure 

Who can apply?

The birth certificate, birth extract and multilingual birth extract can be requested by anyone, provided that the personal data of the interested party are known.

What documents do I need to apply for a birth certificate?

Each interested party must provide a valid identification document or alternatively a driving license or passport will also be valid in addition to the certificate request form.

Multilingual Birth Certificate

The Multilingual Birth Certificate is a document that is used abroad and must always be requested from the Municipality of birth.

The certificate will be considered valid in all countries that have joined the Vienna Convention of 1976. The participating countries are: Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.

This means that if your country of birth has adhered to the Vienna Convention, the multilingual certificate presented in Italy will be considered valid. Otherwise, therefore, if your country has not adhered to the 1976 Convention, it will be necessary for the certificate to have a special stamp affixed by the institution of your country of birth.

How long is a birth certificate valid for?

The aforementioned document does not have a pre-established or limited duration in time, which means that its validity is unlimited . The reason is that it contains data that does not change and that cannot, in reality, change over time.

If you were born on April 15, 2012, surely, this date will remain unchanged forever. Once you have obtained the certificate, you can keep it indefinitely and use it whenever you want.

 Difference between Birth Certificate and Birth Extract

There are differences between a Birth Certificate and a Birth Extract, as well as similarities. Let's start with the similarities. Both documents identify data relating to newborns and are included among the Civil Status documents.

The differences, however, existing between the two documents depend on the fact that the birth certificate contains more information. In fact, it is complete with annotations and all the changes and/or additions.

The data that a birth certificate provides to each interested party are: name and surname, date of birth, number and date of the birth certificate issued by the Municipality, the time of birth, the name of the respective parents and all information regarding the civil status of the subject, i.e., marriage, separation, divorce.

Practical advice

If you are abroad and do not know how to request your birth certificate, you can easily request it online ( click here to submit your request in just a few clicks ). In fact, the birth certificate is frequently requested even by those who live permanently abroad.

The birth certificate It is also commonly requested by new parents to obtain maternity or paternity leave.

If you are interested in the topic and want to know more, request a online legal advice , if you liked the article share it or if you want to contribute to the discussion leave your comment here.