I've seen birth certificates from Washington State and DC, and they aren't signed by the parents. Which makes sense -- you can get a copy of your birth certificate from the state after your parents are dead. The signature that matters is the signature of the registrar or whatever the state/county official is called in that jurisdiction.

Anonymous wrote:I've got birth certificates from Indiana, Ohio, DC and Virginia. None of them are signed by a parent.

^^they're not all birth certificates for me! They're for me, DH, ILs and kids.

I've got birth certificates from Indiana, Ohio, DC and Virginia. None of them are signed by a parent.

I don't see how the birth certificate should be signed. a person can always request an official copy from the state, even after the death of one or both parents, who clearly could not sign it and the birth certificate would be valid for all purposes (passport and so on).

Anonymous wrote:Depends on the state. From waht I've seen, birth certificates are signed by the issuing state (like by the clerk), not the parents.

Yes

Depends on the state. From waht I've seen, birth certificates are signed by the issuing state (like by the clerk), not the parents.

I’m asking this on behalf of a friend.
Her minor son is the beneficiary of her late husband’s DC retirement fund.
The husband had signed the birth certificate application in the hospital but not the actual certificate which was mailed home 2 months after the child was born.
Currently, the birth certificate has birth parents names and DOB but not signatures.
Can it be contested as it died not have the signature of the dad?