Terms of Service

1. Who we are

BirthChek is a private, independent assisted-filing service. We help people request certified copies of birth certificates from the government office that issues them. BirthChek is not a government agency, and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operating on behalf of any federal, state, territorial or local government office. A certified copy can also be requested directly, and at lower cost, from the issuing state's or territory's own vital records office.

2. Acceptance of these terms

By using this website or placing an order, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use our services. We may update these terms from time to time; continuing to use our services after an update means you accept the revised terms. Each order keeps the version of these terms that was in force when it was placed.

3. The service

Under the Limited Power of Attorney you sign at checkout, we prepare your application from the information you provide, submit it to the issuing office, track it through processing, and make sure the certified copy the office issues is sent to the shipping address you give us. Processing times are set by the issuing office, not by us, and are not guaranteed.

4. Eligibility and authorized requesters

You must be at least 18 years old to place an order. Birth certificates are restricted records, and by placing an order you confirm that you are an authorized requester under the issuing state's law — typically the person named on the certificate, a parent, a legal guardian or another family member the state allows, a legal representative such as an attorney, or another person with a direct and tangible interest recognized by that state's law. Knowingly providing false information to obtain a vital record can be a state and federal crime; we may cancel an order where we reasonably believe an eligibility requirement is not met.

5. Your responsibilities

You are responsible for the accuracy of everything you submit through our form. We prepare your application from what you give us; errors, omissions or incorrect information may cause the issuing office to delay or reject your application, and we are not responsible for a delay or rejection caused by information you provided.

6. Identity verification

Depending on the state, we may ask you to upload a valid government-issued photo ID, proof of your relationship to the person named on the certificate, or a signed statement the state requires. If required documents are not provided within the deadline shown in your order portal, your order may be cancelled subject to the Refund Policy.

7. Fees and payment

Before you pay, checkout shows our service fee, the fee the issuing office charges for the certified copy, any expedited or shipping charge, and the transaction fee. You are charged once, at checkout. Payment is collected securely through our payment processor; we do not receive or store your full card number.

8. Refunds

Refunds are governed by our Refund Policy, which sets out what is and is not refundable and how to request one. Once your application has been submitted to the issuing office, we generally cannot recall it, and the office's own fee is not refundable regardless of the outcome.

9. No guarantee a record exists or is released

We cannot guarantee that a specific birth record exists, is available, or will be released by the issuing office. A record may be unobtainable because of the state's access restrictions, because you do not meet that state's eligibility rules, or because it was never filed; the Refund Policy explains what applies in that case.

10. Limitation of liability

We act as a processing intermediary between you and the issuing office. We are not responsible for an office's decisions, delays or errors in the record it issues. To the extent the law allows, our total liability for any claim arising from our services is limited to the amount you paid for the order the claim concerns, and we are not liable for indirect, incidental or consequential damages such as lost time or lost profits.

11. Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law rules.

12. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to support@birthchek.com.