The Salisbury Office of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration Now Offers a Printed Birth Certificate Service
Maryland's GLEN BURNIE, The Maryland Motor Vehicle Department, has issued almost 2,000 birth records to Maryland residents since March last year. Now, they're offering the same convenient service to residents on the Eastern Shore.
The MVA Salisbury office has partnered with the Maryland Department of Health to provide birth certificates to customers born in Maryland who need one to apply for a federally mandated REAL ID. The Salisbury MDOT MVA office is the sixth location to offer the service, following the Annapolis, Baltimore City, Essex, Frederick, and Largo locations.
Eastern Shore customers will appreciate this new service, said MVA Administrator Chrissy Nizer. Given that applicants must provide identification documents to receive a REAL ID, it is in everyone's best interest to broaden this collaboration to make the application process as simple and streamlined as possible for our consumers. A community hub for many different services is provided, and the service reduces the number of branch visits required.
Beginning in March of 2021, customers could obtain birth certificates at the MVA office in Baltimore City. More than 1,500 customers at the Baltimore City branch and 465 consumers at the Essex office have acquired a birth certificate in addition to their MVA product. Seventy additional clients were helped after the service was expanded to the Annapolis, Frederick, and Largo locations in March of this year. To obtain a certified birth certificate from one of the MDOT MVA branches, customers must first complete a transaction for a driver's license or identification card.
The Department of Health and Human Services (MDH) charges $10 for each certified copy of a birth certificate. This service is provided at no extra cost to the customer, and they will leave the MVA office with a fresh copy of their birth certificate and the merchandise they purchased. Officials have stated that the procedure for requesting a birth certificate from a local MVA office has been created using the strictest security measures possible. If a customer wants to make sure their information is secure, they can check it with one customer service rep while making a payment with another.
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Congress passed the federal REAL ID Act to create mandatory safety guidelines for issuing licenses. To fly commercially or enter federal buildings after May 3, 2023, all U.S. citizens will need a driver's license or identification card that complies with the federal government's REAL ID standard. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recertified MDOT MVA's REAL ID process in August 2019, making Maryland the first state in the union to fully comply with federal regulations.
Make sure you know your REAL ID status by creating a myMVA account before scheduling an appointment. Customers who sign up for my MVA account can view their driver's registration info, check their vehicle registration status, view copies of any email exchanges they have received from the MVA, view reminders for their vehicle's emissions inspection, and more.
The Salisbury MVA office not only prints birth certificates but also serves as a TSA PreCheck Service Center, a Veteran Affairs Benefits Office, and a Department of Natural Resources Customer Support Center. Each office has a dedicated veteran benefits specialist available daily to help service members and their families apply for benefits from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.