Trinidad and Tobago has moved its civil documents online: a digital birth certificate can be requested from abroad, with delivery to an address in the United States or, if you prefer, to an address in Trinidad and Tobago, and paid for by credit card.
Quick facts
Being able to have the certificate sent straight to a relative in Trinidad is quietly useful: it means a family member can start a procedure there without waiting for the document to cross the Atlantic twice.
Fees breakdown
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Digital birth certificate | Published fee | Paid by credit card |
| Certificate of citizenship | $388 | For descent and other routes |
| Marriage or death certificate | Charged in Trinidad | Registrar General |
| U.S. certificate and apostille | $15–$50 plus $3–$25 | Apostille is compulsory |
| Colour photocopies | Your own cost | Two of every original |
For a child born in the United States, the route is not a consular birth registration but a certificate of citizenship, which is covered on the citizenship page and has its own documentary chain.
How to file
- Request the digital birth certificate online, choosing the delivery address that suits the procedure.
- Order the U.S. certificate from the state vital records office where the event happened.
- Have the U.S. document apostilled, which is compulsory.
- Arrange an English translation by a registered service if needed.
- Make two colour photocopies of every original.
- Submit to the mission covering your state, in person or by tracked mail.
Required documents
- Trinidadian birth certificate, digital or original.
- U.S. certificate of the event, apostilled.
- Parents’ passports and birth certificates where descent is involved.
- Marriage and divorce certificates covering the chain.
- Two colour photocopies of each original.
- Valid credit card for online requests.
Where to file
Online for civil certificates from Trinidad; at the mission covering your state for citizenship and passport files.
No offices currently listed.
Additional notes
Send it where it will be used
If a relative in Trinidad is handling a matter for you, having the certificate delivered there directly saves weeks.
Names across documents
Where a name differs between certificates, the originals showing the change must be produced, along with any affidavit.
Order more than one
Every later procedure asks for a certificate again, and the two-photocopy rule means you will be handling them repeatedly.
The diaspora database
The New York consulate invites nationals to register their details through a community engagement form, which is how it reaches people with notices.