You can order a certified copy of your birth certificate from the vital records office in the state, county or city where you were born. The certification may be a raised or embossed seal, stamp or watermark, depending on the issuing agency.

The State Department should also return the birth certificate submitted with your passport application in a separate mailing, which may arrive up to four weeks after your passport. If it has not arrived after four weeks, call the National Passport Information Center at 877-487-2778.