Jordan Birth Certificate Attestation from the USA

Registering a U.S.-Born Child With Jordanian Civil Status

Jordanian families in the United States often need their children’s U.S. birth certificates recognized in Jordan: to enter the child in the family book, obtain a Jordanian national number and passport, enroll in school, or establish rights in inheritance. All of these rely on a U.S. birth certificate that has been authenticated and legalized by the Embassy of Jordan.

The family book and national number

Jordan’s Civil Status and Passports Department keeps family records in which children are registered with their parents. Jordanian nationality generally passes through the father, so a child born in the U.S. to a Jordanian father is normally registered in the father’s family book and given a national number, which is then used for a Jordanian passport and identity card. Families can often register the birth through the Embassy of Jordan or a consulate while in the U.S., or later in Jordan; in both cases the legalized U.S. birth certificate is the key document. Children of Jordanian mothers and foreign fathers follow different rules, and the relevant offices can explain what applies.

Choosing the right certificate

Order a certified long-form birth certificate from the vital records office of the state or county of birth, showing the child’s full name, date and place of birth and both parents’ full names. Short-form certificates and hospital certificates are not suitable. Check the parents’ names against their Jordanian documents: different transliterations of Arabic names, or a missing grandfather’s name, can lead to questions at the civil status office and may need a supporting affidavit.

The Secretary of State certificate

For civil records, the Embassy of Jordan expects the birth certificate to come with the Secretary of State’s authentication certificate attached, bearing the state seal. A few states first require a county-level certification. The U.S. Department of State then authenticates the state certificate, and the Embassy of Jordan in Washington, D.C., legalizes the set. Jordan does not accept apostilles.

Practical points

Birth certificates are personal documents, ordered under our Case 3 personal-document service. We register the embassy request with Jordan’s Foreign Ministry online, settle the embassy charge, and include the second copy the embassy requires; the embassy usually completes its step in about a week. Once in Jordan, the certificate is translated into Arabic by a sworn translator and presented to the civil status office.