To ask how you can tell

[WhatTheFluck]

If a birth certificate is an original or a photocopy?

But they're not on white paper, so unless you specially sourced quite an unusual paper colour, its obvious, surely?

As for examples, there's thousands on google images.

@WhatTheFluck

I'm not sure why it may matter but the original [i e one made at the time by the registrar] will have come from a book and will have a perforation on one side. Copies [which are public documents] are produced on computer these days and sometimes - quite obviously - have the details cut and paste into them.

Is there any reason you feel it is important?

@HilaryBriss the one you posted clearly says Certified Copy at the top left.

Certified copies of documents are used when the person does not want to use the original document in case it is lost or mislaid by whoever has requested it.

Hilary, so is that an original or photocopy?
I can't get Google on my phone so that's why I asked for images.
The job said they will not accept photocopies

You can't get google on your phone? How is that even possible?

Seriously Barbara?
It's just not loading. That ok?

WhatTheFluck

Hilary has posted a Certified Copy
That is a copy, but it is a special sort of copy issued by the Registrar's office and can be used in the same way as an original document.
99% of people and organisations will accept a Certified Copy of an original document.

Sometimes people need Certified Copies of an original, any solicitor will photocopy the original document, then use a special stamp on it and date and sign the photocopy. This then elevates its status from "a photocopy" that anyone could have altered or tampered with, to a document that is as acceptable as the original by organisations for ID purposes.

No organisation will accept a photocopy of something like a birth cert, because it's far too easy for anyone to have mocked it up and put different incorrect details on it. If it's being used for ID verification, it needs to be a Certified Copy, or you can take the original to show the company, but make sure they return it immediately.

Don't ever put original docs in the post without having a certified copy yourself as a backup in case the original is lost or mislaid.

So you can have the original one that was filled in on the day you were registered, a copy that was issued by the registrar at a later date and you can have a photocopy you have made yourself on a photocopier.

If it's been photocopied it will be on normal office white paper. If it's come from the registrar it will be on fancier paper.

If you can't tell the difference chances are your employer won't be able to either.

Major over-thinking going on here.

I still can't tell if mine is a photocopy or not.
It has red writing on it and on the back but the writing looks photocopied. Will see what they say about it when I take it in.

I photocopied my daughter's yesterday....it was very obviously a copy. The background marks on the paper showed on the copy. That certified copy further up the post isn't how all BC look.... that's a short version....there are bigger longer ones too.

Hopefully they will accept mine but not holding out much hope

You can obtain an official copy of your birth certificate from the registry office. At my local office I had to call them to make an appointment, it took 10 mins and cost me £10.

You should sort this. I can't believe you don't know if YOUR OWN BC is a copy or not. That's not good and it's quite irresponsible imho.

I had to do some photocopies for an old job who needed to see a certificate so I wasn't sure if it was an original or not

Well if the one you have is a photocopy you must also have the original. Since it was you who copied it previously.

Irresponsible? So you have never lost anything oh saintly one?

I just showed it to a friend and she couldn't tell if it was a photocopy or not either so it's not just me.

What is the paper like?

Cream coloured

A photocopy would be very very obvious.

If you lost the original, where did the one you have come from? Here you can go down to the local health department and buy a certified copy for $25 and it's printed immediately. Is there not something similar there?

Just take in it and see what they say?! If they accept it, they accept it. If they dont, they'll ask you for another. Worst case scenario is you'll have to go and get a certified copy.

Hi all,
Just a friendly reminder not to post up your own birth certs! We've no reason to think that WhatThe is up to any jiggery-pokery but you can't be too careful with the rest of the world looking in.

I definitely did not want anyone to do that, I am surprised that some thought I would honestly ask for that. As I said before, I meant a sample from Google.
Obviously.

I'm staggered by this entire thread...just bizarre

YABU

, if you want a sample from Google then what is stopping you from Googling it yourself? Bizarre thread... but why do they need your birth cert in order to pay you? That is also odd.

For the record a photocopy would be different to the original by virtue of it... being a photocopy.

I am surprised that some thought I would honestly ask for that.

Why? You asked for someone to 'post a version of what it is supposed to look like' - how were we supposed to know what you actually means was 'can someone google it for me and post a screenshot'