You can apply for an Newfoundland & Labrador Birth Certificate if you are:

• The person whose name appears on the certificate;
• Parents of the person named on the certificate (if child is under 19 years of age);
• A legal guardian of the person named on the certificate (must submit guardianship papers);
• Someone applying for a subject that is deceased (must submit proof of death).

On February 18, 2008, Newfoundland & Labrador introduced a new, more secure and durable Birth Certificate. The new Birth Certificate is made from a strong polymer material and has more than 20 visible and concealed security features to help prevent identity theft.

Experts in identity theft discourage carrying a Birth Certificate in a purse or wallet. The size of the new certificate is 12.5 cm wide x 17.6 cm high, which makes carrying it in a wallet or purse prohibitive. The wallet size Birth Certificate is no longer available.

Individuals may choose to include or exclude parents’ information on their Birth Certificate.

Those born in Newfoundland & Labrador are not required to obtain a new Birth Certificate as the old ones remain valid. However, in some instances, where identity security is of utmost importance, citizens may be asked by other agencies to provide the new more secure document as proof of identity or citizenship. New Brunswick Vital Statistics will not exchange previous certificates free of charge.

Before applying, find out the type and format of the document required by contacting the organization to which you must submit it.

Documents:

Short Form Birth Certificate:

The Short Form Birth Certificate is required when applying for an adult Canadian passport. It contains basic information: full name of individual, date of birth, place of birth, sex, registration date, registration number and date issued.

Long Form Birth Certificate:

The Long Form Birth Certificate contains all the information as stated above, plus the names of parents and birthplaces of parents (province/country only).

When submitting an application concerning the birth of a minor, we recommend requesting the Long Form Birth Certificate, as it includes the parents’ names. Some organizations require this type of certificate in the case of minors.

As the applicant, you must submit a HIGH RESOLUTION photocopy of the following identification:

1. A copy of one piece of government-issued photo identification OR
2. Copies of two other pieces of identification – one must have your signature or address on it

Please note that I.D. must be ENGLARGED and LIGHTENED in order to ensure legibility. Simply faxing I.D. often produces poor quality images and are not sufficient.

If this I.D. is not attached, the application will be returned to you without being processed.

Given that you have correctly filled out all sections on the application, you will receive your Birth Certificate(s) within approximately 20-30 business days (includes mailing time).

Given that you have correctly filled out all sections on the application, you will receive your Birth Certificate(s) within approximately 20-30 business days (includes mailing time).

Please Note: Fees listed above are inclusive of taxes and shipping costs. If no record of the birth is found by Newfoundland & Labrador Vital Statistics, fees will be applied to the search cost and will not be refunded.

If you have not received your Birth Certificate within the expected timeframe, you may contact the Newfoundland & Labrador Vital Statistics Agency to check the status of your application.

Telephone: 709-729-3308