Colorado Board Eases Birth Certificate Rules Offering Hope To Long Overlooked Residents

By: Jaclyn Allen | Denver7

DENVER — After Denver7 Investigates reported on the issue of Colorado’s “ghosts” last year, the Colorado Board of Health unanimously voted Thursday to remove one of the most restrictive requirements in the state’s delayed birth certificate rules.

It’s a change advocates say will open the door for many Coloradans who have lived for years without proof of their birth.

The new rule replaces the requirement that applicants provide at least one document created before their 10th birthday with the requirement that at least one document be 10 years old at the time of application.

Advocates say the previous standard created a “lifetime bar” for people who grew up without institutional records before age 10, including those born in remote areas or in insular communities where births were not registered.

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