Birth Certificate Application
Making it official – Your baby’s birth certificate
Every newborn comes with a little paperwork. You will need to complete the Washington state birth certificate form to get a birth certificate for your baby. Please print the form, read it carefully, complete the mother’s and father’s information sections and bring it with you when you come to the hospital. The information for your baby will be filled in after birth.
Your baby’s birth certificate is a legal document. It’s necessary for identification, applying for a passport, verifying age and citizenship, enrolling in school, applying for a social security number and for public assistance.
Some portions will need to wait until after the baby’s birth, but otherwise, yes – it must be filled out completely. Your personal information is strictly confidential; we won’t share it with your name and address attached. And rest assured that confidentiality of birth data is guaranteed by state law.
On the first line of the Mother’s Name section, fill in your current legal first, middle and last names. On the second line, enter your first, middle and last names as they were at your birth.
If you’re not married and would like the father’s information listed on the birth certificate, please ask for and complete a paternity acknowledgment form. If you choose not to do this, the father’s information on your baby’s birth certificate will appear as “None Named.” Read the instructions before filling out the form. Complete the form within 5 days of the baby’s birth to avoid a filing fee.
The easiest way is to mark on the birth certificate worksheet that you want Swedish to apply for your child’s SSN, and you’ll receive the SSN card in the mail in about four to six weeks.
Swedish cannot provide you with a birth certificate, but you can request one from the Seattle-King County Department of Health Vital Statistics. Complete the order form and return it along with the required fee per copy. If you don’t have an order form, call 206-879-5100 to ask for one.