Birth certificates are a perfect example of an important document that may only be used a dozen times during our lives. The rest of the time the document sits in a drawer or safe gathering dust. While a Colorado birth certificate may not be used frequently, it is a critical component of many official transactions. So crucial in fact, that it may pay to have a backup plan.
Three Times You Should Really Keep An Extra Colorado Birth Certificate
First Few Years
Newborns today receive their first birth certificates in the days after birth. For the first few years of life, parents will have to submit copies of the document frequently. Pre-schools and elementary schools will require proof of birth before registration. Insurance companies, primary care doctors, and government agencies will all seek the document as proof of relationship.
Of course, during this time the parents will also be dealing with a newborn. Nothing can change routines faster than bringing a new life into the world. The last thing you want is to misplace your only copy because your kid did something unexpected before you put the certificate back.
New Young Adult
After the parents establish the child, chances are they will not need a birth certificate for a few years. Unless the child moves into another district, it may be more than a decade. As the child moves into young adulthood, however, the second flurry of certificate activity begins.
The last teenage years begin a new period of firsts. The first job will require proof of citizenship. The first driver’s license will require government-issued evidence of age and identity. They may or may not need birth certificates for some of these processes.
Especially for young people going away to school, having an extra certificate during this time can be helpful. They can have a copy on hand in a dorm or first apartment, while the parents keep a copy at home. This option is much less stressful than passing one copy back and forth through the mail or during home visits.
Later In Life
Hopefully, by the time the young adult reaches full independence, they have learned the value of extra documents. They never know when thefts, fires, or other emergencies can occur. It usually pays to store extra copies somewhere you can trust. Dealing with the paperwork around marital licenses, identity theft, and passports can be easier if you have additional documents.
Government agencies are often incredibly frustrating bureaucracies. Don’t wait until you are in a hurry to request your Colorado birth certificate.