If you request the certificate in person, you will be asked to complete and sign an application stating that you have tangible interest in the certificate. You will be asked to show identification. If you request the certificate by mail or fax, you will be asked to provide the same information that is requested on the application and to have the application notarized before you mail or fax it. We will mail you an application or tell you what information you must provide in your request. You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer to open and print these files.
Tangible interest is a fraud protection measure.
The prevalence of fraud is on the rise and most Minnesota birth and death records are public data. Tangible interest helps protect people who are born in Minnesota and the families of people who die in Minnesota by restricting access to the certificates that are used for most legal purposes such as school registration, applying for a passport or a social security number, or settling an estate. Tangible interest does not change the classification of the data. Public data is still public. Access to private or confidential data is still restricted.