Domestic Clients
Birth Certificates
Your child’s birth certificate is a critically important document that will be used throughout your child’s life as the basis for issuing other legal documents. The birth certificate verifies the recording of a child’s birth in the civil register, the first legal recognition of the child. Here are the steps for obtaining a certified copy of your child’s birth certificate:
Domestic Clients
Social Security
Should We Get One Now?
Please check with our office to discuss your specific situation, as the process and necessity for a SS# can differ based on how the birth certificate is prepared.
The U.S. Social Security Administration encourages parents to obtain Social Security number (SS#) for their newborns, although it is entirely voluntary. While it may be a good idea for you to get a number for your baby if you are a Domestic client, for International clients, it is not necessary and does not necessarily result in any particular benefits. Keep in mind as well, a SS# can be obtained at any time in the future, so it is not necessary to obtain it immediately after birth.
For Domestic clients it may be beneficial to obtain a SS# for your baby; you may need a SS# to claim your child as a dependent on your income tax return or if you plan to open a bank account or apply for government services for the child.
How to?
Once you have received your baby’s birth certificate, you will need to complete an application for a newborn social security number and submit it in person at a regional Social Security office. The application is available for download at the U.S. Social Security Administration’s website, HERE. For additional information about newborn social security numbers, please visit this LINK.
Caution!
Some hospitals offer the option for parents to apply for their newborn’s Social Security number at the hospital by simply checking a box, via Newborn Automatic Number Assignment (NANA). However, in surrogacy cases, your child’s Social Security number may be associated with the surrogate. The Social Security card could be mailed to the surrogate’s home, and it is extremely difficult to disassociate the baby’s record from the surrogate’s name. Therefore, although there are exceptions, we generally advise that intended parents via surrogacy NOT use the hospital’s NANA system. Additionally, in the event the surrogate’s name is listed on your child’s initial birth certificate, we recommend you do not apply for your baby’s Social Security number and card until after you have received an amended birth certificate with the surrogate’s name removed.
