This article discusses several methods to find a birth certificate, both online and offline.

The most reliable sources for birth records are primary sources: the original entities that processed the documents. Birth certificates and records are materials that have been authenticated by government and hospital organizations.

How this works varies by state, so your best bet is to find your state’s vital records webpage through the National Center for Health Statistics and go from there, or you can use the VitalChek website to request a copy of your birth certificate. If you’re not in the U.S., you may be able to search for birth records or family history information through official government websites, such as Birth Registries Australia or Library and Archives Canada. You can also use a free service like Family Tree Now.

You can also do a general search on the Internet for birth records *.gov, such as california birth records *.gov. There you will find the official website where you can request vital records, such as your birth information (for example, the California Department of Public Health's vital records page).