Puerto Rican Birth Certificates Set to Expire
Posted 03/12/2010
In Current Events
NOTE: For updated information on Puerto Rican birth certificates, see our post from June 18.
A sudden rise in identity theft linked to Puerto Rican birth certificates prompted the government to take an unprecedented step: invalidating all previously issued Puerto Rican birth certificates as of July 1, 2010.
Though this law was passed in December, it was not highly publicized, and the move took many Puerto Ricans living in the US by surprise.
Rep. José Serrano from New York, who was born in Puerto Rico, told the Associated Press that “No one has thought about what effect this could have, if any, on those of us born in Puerto Rico who now reside in the 50 states.”
Why Are Puerto Rican Birth Certificates Being Invalidated?
Puerto Rico is a US commonwealth, meaning Puerto Ricans are US citizens at birth. Identity thieves targeted Puerto Rican birth certificates as desirable tickets to US passports and licenses.
The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration website reported that hundreds of thousands of original birth certificates were not adequately protected and were stolen and sold on the black market for up to $10,000 each.
The US Department of Homeland Security and US Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that up to 40 percent of recent passport fraud cases involved Puerto Rican birth certificates. The law invalidating birth certificates was enacted to protect Puerto Ricans from further identity theft and credit problems.
How Can Puerto Ricans in the US Be Affected?
Puerto Ricans living in the US can no longer use certified copies of their birth certificates after July 1 as proof required for such actions as applying for drivers’ licenses and passports.
Rep. Serrano said that he has been fielding calls from many concerned citizens, but he is trying to curb some unnecessary panic about being forced to leave the country. “You’re established already, no one is going to ask you for a birth certificate,” Serrano said.
How Can Puerto Ricans Apply for New Birth Certificates?
On or after July 1, people born in Puerto Rico can follow these steps to replace their birth certificates:
- Go to the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration website.
- Download and complete an application form.
- Include a photocopy of a government-issued photo ID, a self-addressed stamped envelope and a $5 money order to the Secretary of Treasury of Puerto Rico with the application form.
- Send the application to: Registro Demográfico
P.O. Box 11854
San Juan, PR 00910
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