The basis of any identity is a birth certificate. One way a birth certificate could be obtained is by getting what is called a Delayed Birth Certificate. A delayed birth certificate is a birth certificate that is acquired after birth. In other words, when the birth happened, there was no birth certificate issued.
Usually, there would not be a birth certificate issued if the birth did not take place in a hospital. For instance, Amish parents have children and when Amish people have children, they have them in their own Amish communities. They don't go to hospitals. The fact they don't go to hospitals doesn't mean a birth didn't happen. When Amish have children, they don't apply for birth certificates or social security numbers. They just have their children and raise them. When someone leaves the Amish community, they find out they have to get a birth certificate and a social security number to work and get a driver’s license. They get a Delayed Birth Certificate. The same thing would happen with a woman who had a baby in a taxicab in New York City. There was no doctor present so a Delayed Birth Certificate is what is needed be it one day or 50 years later. There are many reasons babies are not born in hospitals and so we have Delayed Birth Certificates issued for those babies and even issued later in life when they have grown into adults.
The Delayed Birth Certificate is common. If a person was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, outside a hospital, that person could get a Delayed Birth Certificate any time after their birth took place. Their parents may get them a birth certificate soon after the birth. All cases are different so it’s easy to come up with reasons you didn’t get yours yet. Just plan your story well before you go about the process of getting a delayed birth certificate.
Perhaps the parents never get the child a birth certificate. The child may grow up to the age of 71 years old and have never had a birth certificate. In this case, the person could send a letter to the department of vital statistics (or whatever the local county department is called that handles birth certificates) asking for a copy of their birth certificate. In that letter, the person would provide the details in their request for the birth certificate. That person might say something like, "Hi, my name is John Doe. I was born in Big County Oklahoma on Dec 25, 1957. I would like to get a copy of my birth certificate. My mother's maiden name is Jane Katherine Maiden and my father's name is James Frank Doe."
Big County won't find a copy of John Doe's birth certificate because this name is only being used by the person applying and is not a real person. When Big County receives the request for the birth certificate, John Doe would now be on record in Big County just because he applied for a birth certificate. Big County will send a letter back to John Doe stating they don't have a birth certificate on record. They will tell John he will have to provide them with some proof of his existence and once they get the proof, they can issue him a delayed birth certificate. They will send along a list of what they will accept as proof of his existence. One of the things they will accept is if two people will vouch for John Doe and say they knew John's parents and they have known John since his birth. If two real people write John a letter (possibly needing notarization on this letter) and those two people vouch for John then they will go ahead and issue John the birth certificate.
A person could make up a name, a mother and father's name, a birth date, and send in a request to any county in any state for a copy of their birth certificate. The county would not be able to locate the birth certificate so they would send a reply telling the applicant what they need to issue the Delayed Birth Certificate. They usually would also send a document that would enable this person to use this new name to go and get a driver's license or state ID card. You apply and they send you an official piece of paper that says, “If you need to get a driver’s license just use this piece of paper in place of your birth certificate”. Take that piece of paper and a fake employee ID you make with a computer and laminating machine you can buy at Office Depot. You could use a student ID card you print from an online website (click here to go to the chapter on Student Identification). You apply for and get a State ID card. You want to get a State ID card because you don’t have to take a driving test or a written test. I just showed them my stuff and got my State ID card within about 10 minutes.
Big County may send a document you can use to get a driver's license, or state ID card. You have one item needed to get a driver's license. The state driver's license bureau will tell you what else you will need.
NOTE: It is important to point out it is easier to get a State Issued ID Card than a driver's license. It is a good idea to get a State Identification Card during the first visit to the DMV. Once you have that, you can go back and use your State ID as identification to get a driver's license. One reason a State ID is easier is you don't have to take any driving tests. You just show your documents, have a photo taken, and get your ID.
A State ID Card is just as good as a driver's license for identification purposes, even if caught driving without a driver's license. Let’s assume you never got a driver's license and you are caught driving. You get a ticket for driving without a driver's license but you won’t go to jail.
Another path to a birth certificate in a fake name is, create one. There are so many different styles of birth certificates. Nobody knows if one is real or not. Obtain a blank birth certificate and fill in the blanks. A birth certificate whited-out, copied, and edited has worked for thousands of people. Using this type of birth certificate to get State ID or a driver licenses is risky. Many DMV's verify if a birth certificate is on file in the county that supposedly issued it. I would NOT suggest this method.
Some identity changers have stolen or borrowed someone else’s identity. They get someone else’s information, go to a DMV, and get an ID in that person's name with their own picture. This is easy to carry out but takes several days or even weeks. If someone knew a real person's information, that person could send a request by mail for a copy of that person's birth certificate and claim to be that person. They need a copy of the birth certificate and a photo ID to get a real state ID card or driver's license. A good way to get a picture ID is to enroll in an inexpensive course at a local community college under the new name so you get a student ID card. Another way to get a picture ID is to open a checking account with a bank that puts photos on the Debit Card (Bank of America for example). With a birth certificate and a photo ID, a State ID can be obtained in just a matter of minutes. A State ID is a powerful ID. Even the police won't question one unless the person presenting it doesn't know the information by heart. A real person would know their birth date, address, and how to spell his or her name.
An identity changer should always know by heart all the information that will instantly give them away if they don't know it. In addition, when using someone else’s information it might be best if the new ID were acquired in a state where the person had never lived in before. A person could say, “I just moved here and I need a new ID”. If it were done in the same state and same city where the real person lived, it may be best to say, “I lost my license and I need a duplicate issued”. If you ask, “What do I need to get the duplicate”, Missouri will say, "Nothing, we have your picture on file so just come on in.” When you come in, they will just look at your picture and look at you and if you are the same person, they will give you another driver license or state ID card.
STRONG RECOMMENDATION: I suggest you do not need to get a new birth certificate to setup a new identity and name using this approach. It is much simpler and easier to keep your real identity and simply NOT use it. Start a business and operate under the Business Name, as this is simpler to do and legal to do.