Originally Posted by kingsroadgal
With all the identity theft going on, I'm in favor of carrying as little ID as possible, especially if not required by law. Who knows what could happen to a birth certificate if your purse is stolen, or the certificate is "removed" from your hotel room?
I guess I'm not that paranoid. My understanding is that there's very little risk in carrying a copy, as a birth certificate is essentially worthless without an embossed seal. Plus, having a copy of a birth certificate enabled me to avoid paying full fare for an airline seat when an agent was dubious that my son was < 2 years old.