I moved from Texas to Illinois about 90 days ago and had some delays renewing my license because of a back injury. I finally made it to the DMV, but they wouldn’t accept my original 1947 birth certificate. They’re saying it has to be a certified copy, which costs $29. My birth certificate is in great condition, and the stamp is visible, so this feels like extortion to me. Anyone else run into this?
Yeah, that’s super frustrating. I had the same issue when I moved states! They wouldn’t accept mine either.
Shan said:
Yeah, that’s super frustrating. I had the same issue when I moved states! They wouldn’t accept mine either.
Right? Mine’s perfectly readable, so IDK why they’re being so picky. Did you just pay for a certified one?
Shan said:
Yeah, that’s super frustrating. I had the same issue when I moved states! They wouldn’t accept mine either.
Wait, what does ‘certified’ even mean? Isn’t your original technically the most legit one?
@Tao
Certified means you get an official copy from the state that has a seal or stamp to confirm it’s legit. But yeah, I agree—it’s silly.
@Tao
Exactly! Mine has the original stamp from 1947, so it should count. I don’t get their logic.
I’d ask to speak to a supervisor. Sometimes different clerks have different rules, and you might get someone more reasonable.
Caden said:
I’d ask to speak to a supervisor. Sometimes different clerks have different rules, and you might get someone more reasonable.
Good idea, thanks! I’ll try that next time. One clerk said it was fine, but the one I got wasn’t having it.
Have you checked if there are other forms of ID they’ll accept? Maybe you can avoid the whole birth certificate thing.
Caden said:
Have you checked if there are other forms of ID they’ll accept? Maybe you can avoid the whole birth certificate thing.
Yeah, I looked into it. A passport works, but mine expired a while back. Kinda stuck without the birth certificate.
Tbh, $29 for a certified copy might be the easiest way to end the hassle. Annoying, but it’s probably faster than fighting them.
Darwin said:
Tbh, $29 for a certified copy might be the easiest way to end the hassle. Annoying, but it’s probably faster than fighting them.
True, but it feels so unnecessary when I already have the original. Ugh, I’ll keep it as a last resort.
If your back injury prevented you from going sooner, maybe they’ll cut you some slack? Medical records might help.
Shan said:
If your back injury prevented you from going sooner, maybe they’ll cut you some slack? Medical records might help.
I hadn’t thought about that—good point. I’ll bring my doctor’s note next time, just in case.