EPISODE 2.2 — YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE
Your birth certificate is the foundational document of your aliyah file. Without it, nothing else can be established. It proves who you are, who your parents are, and where you were born. It is the document upon which your proof of Judaism, your marital status, your children's eligibility, and virtually everything else in the file ultimately rests.
And yet it is the document that, in my experience of speaking with olim, generates the most unexpected complications. Not because it is difficult to understand, but because people consistently order the wrong type.
Let me be very clear about what the Jewish Agency requires. You need an original, government-issued, long-form birth certificate. Not a short-form certificate. Not a hospital-issued birth record. Not a commemorative certificate. Not a laminated keepsake copy. The long-form birth certificate — sometimes also called a full certificate or a certified copy of the register entry — must include the full names of both your mother and your father. If your birth certificate does not list both parents' names, it is insufficient for aliyah purposes, and you will need to obtain one that does.
For UK applicants in England and Wales: you order your birth certificate from the General Register Office — the GRO. You do this online at gro.gov.uk, by phone on 0300 123 1837, or by post using the relevant application form. The standard service costs £12.50 and is despatched approximately fifteen working days after your application. If you need it quickly, the priority service costs £38.50 and is despatched the next working day if you order before 4pm. You can also order from the local register office where the birth was registered, or from the council register office serving that area. For Scotland, the process is through National Records of Scotland at nrscotland.gov.uk. For Northern Ireland, it is through the General Register Office Northern Ireland — GRONI.
For US applicants: birth certificates are state records, issued by the vital records office of the state in which you were born. Most states offer online ordering, phone ordering, or in-person service. The cost varies by state. For New York City births specifically, as mentioned in the apostille episode, you will need the long-form certificate with the letter of exemplification in order to progress through the apostille process. Order this version from the outset. Do not order and then discover you need to reorder.
For Canadian applicants: birth certificates are provincial records. In Ontario, they are ordered from ServiceOntario. In British Columbia, from Vital Statistics BC. Each province has its own process and its own distinction between short-form and long-form certificates. Always request the long-form — typically called the certified copy of the registration of birth rather than a birth certificate card.
Your birth certificate requires an apostille. This must be obtained after you have the certificate in hand. For UK applicants, this means sending your original GRO certificate to the FCDO Legalisation Office or using a registered agent. For US applicants, this means the Secretary of State of the state that issued the certificate. For Canadian applicants, the relevant provincial authority. The process is covered in Episode 2.B, which I recommend you read before ordering your certificate, so that you are clear on timing.
A name discrepancy is the most common complication. If the name on your birth certificate does not match the name on your current passport — perhaps because you use a middle name professionally, or because your name was transliterated differently when you obtained your passport — you will need to explain this and provide supporting documentation. If the discrepancy is due to a legal name change — for example, following marriage or by deed poll — you will need to provide the relevant official name-change document, also apostilled.
How many copies should you order? My recommendation is two originals. One for submission to the Jewish Agency or NBN, and one that you keep. The Jewish Agency will examine your original at the interview and return it to you, but having a spare protects you against the document being lost or damaged during transit. The cost of a second copy is trivial relative to the time it takes to reorder one.
