A person is given an identity upon birth. He or she has rights that the government ensures. On paper the government acknowledges a person's existence by issuing a birth certificate. Upon that person's death, the government issues a death certificate to document the occurrence.

Birth and death certificates are important documents. They carry the official seal of the government, which makes them official and must therefore be honored everywhere as proof of one's identity.

Most institutions- from insurance companies to schools, to churches depend on these official documents to carry out their services for their clients. For example, dependents or beneficiaries of an insured person can only claim his or her death insurance premium when they present or submit a death certificate to the insurance company. A person applying for a passport or visa needs to submit an authenticated copy of his or her birth certificate. When applying for a marriage license, couples are required to submit authentic copies of birth certificates. If widowed, they must provide copies of death certificates of their spouses. Without the birth or death certificates, the government and most institutions have no way of verifying a person's identity or existence.

Hospitals have forms for registering either births or deaths. A person's legal and biological information- are recorded on these forms. They are then registered in the municipality or city of occurrence. And they are authenticated by authorized signatories and the official seal. The data on the certificates then become legal information. Parents of the registered infant or dependents of the deceased are given an authenticated copy of the official document. If the birth or death did not occur in the hospital, parents or guardians or dependents must have it registered with the local registry.

Records or the original copies of birth and death certificates are kept by the municipality or city. Only they are your sources of authentic copies of both certificates.