The last time I requested a birth certificate copy, I was moving from Ohio to Connecticut. I’ve probably had five or six copies over the course of my life, and invariably misplaced them during a  move or through sloppy file keeping.

When I received the certificarte, it looked almost exactly like the one below. The exception is the seal and state name being that of the Great State of Ohio (well, not that great after this November’s election) and names being my own, my mother’s, and my father’s.

Certificate of Live Birth - Hawaii - President Barack Obama

No one has since questioned the legitimacy of my certificate, and I was able to obtain my transferred driver’s permit utilizing this certificate.

A “Certification of Live Birth” is an official birth certificate.