A birth certificate is a fairly basic document and is often taken for granted. Everyone has one and you probably don’t think about it often. However, a birth certificate is very important and should certainly be kept safe. If yours is lost or destroyed you have to go through the General Register Office, fill out information and pay a small fee just to get a new one. It is a lot easier to keep it safe in the first place. But before you simply put in a desk drawer, in the attic or stash it away in a safety deposit box consider all the things you need it for.
What do you need a birth certificate for?
There are several reasons you may need to keep a birth certificate in an accessible and safe place. When applying to a new job you may need to show a copy of your birth certificate, and
most employment agencies ask you to produce one if you use their services. It is also a way to prove your nationality if you are applying for any government benefits like healthcare. It also proves your age when you apply for marriage or military service. Lastly, it proves your identity. Many activities and services require multiple forms or identification and a birth certificate is a common way to provide proof of identity after a driver’s license.
Because there are so many uses are requirements to produce your birth certificate, it shouldn’t really be kept in a safety deposit box or some other remote location that is not easily accessible. Your birth certificate should also be accessible to a family member if you are incapacitated by sickness or injury. They should know where it is and how to get it.
Why not just keep it in a drawer at home?
There are a couple threats out there that a drawer or a cupboard will not protect your birth certificate from. Despite how important a birth certificate is, it is just a piece of paper. This means it is vulnerable to all kinds of damaging sources including fire and floods. If some disaster were to damage your home, your birth certificate would be lost along with anything else that was not adequately protected.
However, being damaged or destroyed are not the only threats to your birth certificate. They are also useful to identity thieves. As mentioned above, a birth certificate is a gateway to all kinds of privileges and uses. So if a criminal is able to convince someone that your birth certificate is theirs they gain access to all those things under your name.
Where should I keep it?
To protect against fire a birth certificate can be kept in
a quality fire safe. These often give up security for fire resistance a good fire safe can withstand high temperatures for 30 minutes or more. On the other hand, if you want to protect against theft a security safe is designed to withstand human attacks and tampering. For both, there are hybrid safes that resist burglars and flames.
