What is a short-form birth certificate?
Short vs. Long-Form UK Birth Certificates
Over the years, the UK registration offices have issued various types of birth certificates. The most common of these was the Short Birth Certificate, traditionally given to new parents when they registered the birth of their child. Short certificates were also issued by Somerset House to adopted individuals to maintain the secrecy of their adoption and protect the identity of birth parents.
Limitations of the Short Birth Certificate
The main issue with the short-form certificate is that it does not include the names of either parent. Due to identity fraud legislation, many official organisations in the UK and abroad no longer accept short-form certificates as valid proof of identity.
What You Can Do
If you have a short-form certificate, don't worry. The necessary details to issue a Full (Long) Birth Certificate were recorded at the time of your birth. You can easily order a replacement long-form certificate, which includes all the required details, here.
Uses of the Long-Form Birth Certificate
Long-form certificates can be used for all official purposes, including:
- Employer identity verification
- Marriage applications
- Passport applications
- Visa applications
Overseas Use of Birth Certificates
If you need to present a birth certificate to an overseas government authority, there are additional rules and steps for authentication. Typically, you will need to authenticate the certificate with extra verification before it can be accepted. For more information on using official documents in another country,