Delayed Birth Certificate, after 19 years?

Question

I have a friend who has absolutely no identification what-so-ever. Like seriously, I sent him to the store for cigarettes and he's like dude, I have no ID. So I suggested he go to DMV and grab a Driver's License. Long story short, after going back and forth between two DMV's he still couldn't catch a break.

They told him he needed his birth certificate and a social security card, both of which he doesn't have. Actually, all he knows is that he was born in Chipley, Florida and was raised by a woman who recently passed away. He told me that his adopted "mother" told him his biological father moved to Europe and never came back. I feel so bad talking to him about it, I mean I have both parents and live the regular american life.

How can I help him out? He's not even sure his real last name is Rossi. He's 19, and works at a Chinese food place, right down the street from his pad. He's used my computer for searching ancestry.com, with no luck. What can I do to help? What can he do?

Answer 1

In Florida he can order his birth certificate at his local health department.  (They should also be able to refer him to some other resources.  Chipley, FL is a very small rural town, so this is probably not an uncommon situation there.  If he's still there he may be able to find locals who can tell him more about his birth.)

He can also go to the local Social Security department to request a new card.  Some of the things he can use for identification are employee ID card, school ID card, health insurance card (not a Medicare card), or military ID card.

It may help to bring some additional information about his parents.  He can search for his mother's information using the Social Security Death Index.

Answer 2

There is another possibility.. that he was NOT born in Florida, or in Chipley, at all.  All of this is what he knows from being told..since he does not have the records to back it up.  Searching ancestry.com is going to be a long shot at the very best, since most states don't post birth indexes. There are some exceptions.

It is a possibility that his parents separated when he was very young, and dad "ran" with him, as a custody dispute. This IS far more common than people believe. Changing names is a common way to stay hidden from a parent who is searching for him. If he was young enough, he won't remember where he actually came from.

I also suggest that he start with the school, and it is possible that he will need legal help, in getting to those original records. That will hopefully show the name of who enrolled him, in order to start looking for that person. It is possible the "father" used a false name as well. Someone with authority can also do a search of the Florida birth records (in case he was born in another county), but it is possible that he was born in another state.

Even with home births in the last 25 yrs.. legitimate parents would have KNOWN that the child needed a birth certificate, and would have filed for one.

Laws regarding family abductions are a pure nightmare, although they are changing. Many law enforcement persons, particularly in the past, but also today.. will refuse to help, saying that it is a "civil" dispute. For someone, perhaps an uneducated mother... they are left, feeling helpless, and give up.

He needs some legal advice to find a way to search official records (not just hospital). If that does not turn up anything, he might consider contacting www.missingkids.org, and see if he isn't in their registry.

Answer 3

This is a legal issue. I have two grandparents who were not issued birth certificates. I have copies of sworn affidavits by a neighbor who was present when the grandmother was born, and one sworn by my great-grandmother.

These affidavits validated their existence as far as the government was concerned, though this procedure happened many decades ago.

He might want to run this by a free legal aid clinic if the hospital cannot be found.

Good luck and happy hunting.

Answer 4

He has to start with his school records and his immunization records.  He would have needed documentation to get into school.  He should also check with the Washington County Clerk's office to see if they have a record of his birth.

He can also apply for a copy of his birth certificate.  To get a certified copy, he will normally need ID, but the dept. of health does make exceptions.  Same thing with SSA.  

How has he been working and filing tax retuns with no social security number?  Also, his mother would have needed a SSN for him in order to claim him as a dependent.  

He really needs to start looking through her paperwork.

Answer 5

One way to get some information is to try to get school records as far back as he can. What name and SS # was used to enroll him? This might help to then go look for a copy of his birth certificate.

Answer 6

i have absolutely no clue, but i feel for him.

if he knows the city he was born in and the day, he can find the hospital he was born in and who he was born to, [parents] possibly.