This is unbelievable. I can renew my husband and my passports without our birth certificates, I can just mail in the old ones, but since my children were under 16 when their first passports were issued, I need their birth certificates to renew as well as their old passports (those I still have), and they're gone!

I kept them in a file box and all of our birth certificates are gone! I can only suspect the cleaning people, my cleaner sometimes hires helpers and I'm never home when they're here.

So, first, how do I get the kids BC's replaced? Any idea how long that takes?

Further, what could someone do with our birth certificates? Has anyone had this happen?

In Illinois births are registered locally, with the county. A new birth certificate can be obtained on the same day by going in person--not sure how long it would take to send for them.

Maybe this is a reflection of my own waning organizational skills, and increased ability to misplace things as I get older. But I would think it is more likely that your certificates got misplaced rather than stolen. Did the children need them for something at school? Could you have put them somewhere else after you used them sometime in the past?

With identity theft rampant, it is very possible that someone took your birth certificates and now your identity is being sold... Better check with the Dept. of State, passport office to report in case someone tries to use them as ID. Also, a police report would be my next step, so it's in the system... good luck!

As above that seems a really strange thing for a non-professional thief to steal from a private home. Is there anywhere else you could have put them instead?

You can get new birth certificates thru the hospital (I believe) place of birth, but I have no idea of timing or procedures.

oops, I see your thread on the US board has lots of good information.

It's pretty easy I think. At least here in WA. You just go down to the County Courthouse, pay a small fee and you're done. Good luck!

I an so disorganized at times and very organized at other times. I have had to replace birth certificates several times and now have several copies of a few of ours(the 3rd child has pushed me over the edge with the disorganization). Do a search on the internet for your state birth certificates. In our state, you can call, pay your $6 and they will send you a new one. I wouldn't sweat someone stealing them too much unless you have found soc. sec. cards missing too. It is really odd that all of yours would be gone???? Just keep a watchful eye on things. I keep all of ours in the same place and they ended up in a different location. I have no idea what I needed them for or why they got moved, but I'm sure my husband or I is responsible. It only takes about a week in our state (MD) for a sent replacement.

I can contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the town I was born in. There is a small fee but it is relatively simple.

We keep our really important papers like that in a safe deposit box. I always worry about a fire or something.