How long (the duration) do you have to wait to receive a new born birth certificate in NYC? Well, hospitals give you a souvenir birth certificate but its not legally accepted as proof of age or citizenship but is a unofficial record of the birth of your child(ren). After the hospital (unless you did it yourself) process it, the papers will be filed with the New York City Office of Vital Records.

The birth certificates for newborns are automatically mailed approximately four (4) weeks after birth and the New York City Office of Vital Records is unable to provide information on the status of your certificate before then to you. Once you receive both documents, please invest in a fire protected safe from your local office supply store or the vault of a local bank. This will help in keeping this and other documents safe which your child will need later on in life.

Please note that the hospital (or medical facility) must forward the information for processing so any forwarding delays by the institution will add to the processing time so be sure to follow up with them to make sure it was done for you before departing.

By the way, the IRS requires that all children over the age of one (1) to have a Social Security number to be claimed as an income tax deduction so do not forget to apply for a Social Security number as time rolls on. To make things easier, you do not have to apply separately for a Social Security card for your newborn if you apply at the hospital at the time of your child’s birth. After applying, expect to receive the info within one (1) month.

Later, if you need additional birth certificate copies, you can then request it by via the Internet, phone, mail (mail takes 8 weeks) or in person. If you will pick up in person, you need to see the info for first time visitors for further instructions.

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