Whether you need your birth certificate to enroll in school or obtain a passport, if you parents did not keep the birth record, you are going to have to get it yourself. And that can be a daunting task. No two states are alike in how they store the records and where the records are stored. Searching for birth records can be a difficult task or an easy task. First, look at the difficult steps to obtaining a birth record.

• You must determine where you were born. If you were adopted or if you don’t have a good relationship with your family, you may not know where you were born. Your birth record will be in the county where you were born.
  
  
• Once you determine the county and state, you have to find out which agency in that area keeps the records. In many states, the Department of Health is responsible for keeping the birth records. Some births are recorded at local courthouses. This is the longest part of finding a birth record.
  
  
• After you find out who has the birth record, you need to determine the policy for obtaining a copy. Some larger states will allow you to order a copy of your birth certificate online. If you order a birth record online, you have to wait for it to be mailed. Most states however, will require you to come the agency and pick up your birth certificate in person. Some states have extended the requirement to allow immediate family members to pick up the records. Make sure you ask about fees as most states charge for sealed copies of birth certificates.

You can make the task of searching for birth records easier. You can eliminate an important step by searching for birth records online. How does it work?

1. Find a reputable online record search company that has access to birth records.
   
2. Fill out your information. Reputable companies will keep your information confidential and will not bombard you inbox with spam.
   
3. Learn about the specific payment plans. In many cases, if you are just looking for one birth record, it will cost less than $10. If you need a lot of birth records, you can sign up for a plan that will give you unlimited searches for less than $100.

While you will not be able to purchase a copy of the birth record from an online search engine, you will be able to find the birth record faster. An online record search company will store birth records from across the nation in one place. You won’t have to call agency after agency in different parts of your state or in different parts of the country. By the time you get ready to request the birth record of make the drive to health department, you will know that the record in that county. Whatever reason you need a birth record, using an online search engine company save you time and money.