| ning a copy of a birth, death or marriage | | | | walk into the Clerk-Recorder Department without |
| certificate is believed by some to be a time | | | | an appointment they go to a computer station |
| consuming affair. Most people expect to slog | | | | where they can begin the automated process. |
| through traffic during the day to reach the vital | | | | When one arrives for their appointment to pick |
| records office in their county, and then proceed | | | | up the Orange County birth, death or marriage |
| to wait in more lines. | | | | certificate, applicants go to a specific window to |
| The perceived notion of a long wait, unfriendly | | | | provide required identification. The certificate and |
| business office hours and clerks, tracking down a | | | | receipt are printed at this time. The |
| certified copy of any vital record is generally not | | | | Clerk-Recorder Department accepts several |
| seen as an easy task. With some county offices | | | | methods of payment, including cash, check, |
| striving to make it more convenient for | | | | money order, cashier's check, travelers check or |
| customers, the rest of the country's vital records | | | | debit card. Credit cards are not accepted at this |
| offices now have a model they can emulate. | | | | time. |
| Orange County in California is an example of a | | | | Approximately forty percent of all requests for |
| county that is working to make the task of | | | | birth certificates, death certificates and marriage |
| ordering a birth record easier for citizens. | | | | certificates in the county are provided to |
| Orange County Clerk Recorder Department has | | | | applicants through this automated process. |
| Two Offices: | | | | How to Bypass the Line: |
| At the Orange County Clerk Recorder | | | | There is another method to request certificates |
| Department in California, vital records can be | | | | and bypass lines completely. You can access |
| accessed in a much smoother manner than in the | | | | Orange County, CA birth certificates online |
| past. Because of the volume of customers the | | | | through a third party vendor and order as an |
| office assists, they operate two offices, the main | | | | express service. |
| location in Santa Ana and a branch office in | | | | Now you know how to obtain birth certificates |
| Laguna Hills. | | | | and other vital records. The next step is ensuring |
| How to Order an Orange County Birth Certificate: | | | | you are keeping these records stored in a secure, |
| In order to receive a California birth certificate, | | | | safe location for the next time you need to |
| death or marriage certificate from either location, | | | | present a copy. |
| the easiest thing to do is first visit the Orange | | | | Some typical life events or situations which |
| County Clerk-Recorder's website. There, | | | | require you to present a government certified |
| customers can process an application for the vital | | | | copy of an original vital record include: registering a |
| records they're searching with a few mouse | | | | child for school, applying for a driver’s |
| clicks. The average processing time to fill out the | | | | license, completing the passport application |
| application is 3 minutes. The customer can also | | | | process, registering for social security benefits, |
| schedule an appointment to pick up the | | | | joining the military, registering a child for organized |
| document, reducing time spent in lines. If | | | | sports and settling the estate of a deceased |
| customers don't have access to a computer, or | | | | spouse, parent or child. |