NEWS / 78-year-old Florida woman finally gets birth certificate after lifelong wait

A 78-year-old woman from Miami Gardens, Florida, finally received her birth certificate after living her entire life without the vital record. She needs the document in order to be able to obtain a Real ID Act compliant identification card and other important paperwork.

“I was so happy,” The woman in question, Jessie Lovette, was quoted by CBS as stating. “I ain't been this happy in a long time. It's a long time coming, and I'm glad that everything is over.”

Lovette was born at a house in Georgia in the 1940s, when the state still had Jim Crow segregation laws in place. Being African American and home born, Lovette never received a birth certificate.

For most of her life, Lovette never encountered any major issues not having a birth certificate, as she was able to use her student ID for identification. However, she encountered problems obtaining a Florida State ID due to the more stringent requirements of the Federal Real ID Act of 2005.

“Not having a birth certificate or any ID to prove that she is a United States citizen, it was kind of difficult for her because we couldn't—she didn't want to go out, you know, as much,” Lovette’s son Derrick stated. “But now she could go out and not be afraid, you know, if something happens, then she won't be detained by ICE officials or anybody."

Lovette’s family also noted that the Trump administration’s recent crackdown on undocumented immigrants caused a slowdown in the process of obtaining the birth certificate, but that local media coverage helped push the case forward.

Following the receipt of the birth certificate, Lovette went to the Miami-Dade Tax Collector’s office to receive her Real ID. She also plans to apply for a United States passport with the United States Department of State.

If you require assistance retrieving or legalizing a birth certificate for use abroad (with an apostille or authentication certificate), feel free to reach out to us via e-mail at info@apostille.us or by phone at (212) 233-7061. You can also place an order on our website.