No. You are required to furnish the originals or copies certified by the issuing authority bearing the official’s seal and signature. This applies to marriage certificates, birth certificates and proof of physical presence. Copies of passports for minor passport applications do not need to be certified if presented with originals.

Written translations by an accredited translator are required for any documents not in English.

You may obtain a certified copy of your birth certificate from the state in which you were born. The National Center for Health Statistics maintains a list of states’ contact information for this purpose.

If you were born abroad, your parents should have registered your birth at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate and received a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, Form FS-240. This form is acceptable legal proof of birth and U.S. citizenship. Records are kept at the Passport Correspondence Office in Washington, DC.

You may obtain a certified copy of these documents from the state in which the marriage/divorce or death occurred. The National Center for Health Statistics maintains a list of states’ contact information for this purpose.

Please follow these links for information on obtaining copies of:

• Passport records
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad
• Report Of Death Of A U.S. Citizen Abroad