Beginning April 1, 2011, the U.S. Department of State will require the full names of the applicant’s parent(s) to be listed on all certified birth certificates to be considered as primary evidence of U.S. citizenship for all passport applicants, regardless of age. Certified birth certificates missing this information will not be acceptable as evidence of citizenship. This will not affect applications already in-process that have been submitted or accepted before the effective date. 
 
For more information, see 22 CFR 51.42(a). 
 
To obtain a new birth certificate, see the CDC. 
 
In addition to this requirement, certified copies of birth certificates must also include the following information to be considered acceptable primary evidence of U.S. citizenship:
1. Full name of the applicant
2. Date of birth
3. Place of birth
4. Raised, embossed, impressed or multicolored seal of issuing authority
5. Registrar’s signature
6. The date the certificate was filed with the registrar’s office (must be within one year) 
 
If you have a birth certificate that does not meet these requirements, please see Secondary Evidence of U.S. Citizenship.