MISSOURI -- New requirements in Missouri will soon change how you can obtain a copy of birth and death certificates, as well as marriage and divorce records.
The new requirements take effect March 1, and they are designed to fight identity theft and give you a higher level of protection.
There are three ways to obtain a copy of a record: in-person at a local or state health department, by mail, or online.
If you go in-person, you will need more documentation than you did before.
"If you don't have a photo ID, then there's a list of other documents that you will have to produce; [you will need] two [alternate] pieces of identification, if you don't have a photo id,” said Jim LeBaron, Adair County Health Department Administrator.
The alternate forms of identification can include: a letter from the government or a social agency, or a W-2 form along with a signed social security card. Other acceptable forms of ID will be posted on the Adair County Health Department’s website.
If you choose to request a record through the mail, you will need to take an extra step.
“Prior to this, you needed to fill out an application, but now you'll have to fill out the application and have that form notarized [by a notary public],” said LeBaron.
If obtaining the record by mail, you must pay with a personal check or money order.
If you are doing an online request, you can go here. Your payment must be made with a credit card, and this service is through a third-party provider, so there may be additional fees.
Before you even attempt to obtain a record, Missouri law says you must have a direct or tangible interest in that record. What does that mean?
"Generally, when people come into the Health Department, it's either the registrant themselves or a family member, or it could be a guardian, or an official representative of that person; for example, it could be their physician or attorney," said LeBaron.
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