The Impact of Government Regulations on Private Marriage and Birth Certificate Providers

Marriage and birth certificates are crucial legal documents. Tracking births and marriages isn’t only helpful from a census-related point of view. These pieces of paper are also vital for those named on them to prove their citizenship or identity. In the past, those requiring these documents had to go through state, city, or county-based government agencies.

While not always the case, some agencies move at a slower pace than most people would prefer. They also often require lots of complex paperwork. Thankfully, private marriage and birth certificate providers exist to help solve this issue for people who need certified copies of documents.

While these companies provide much-appreciated services for people, like any other business, private certificate providers must abide by government regulations.

Key Government Regulations Impacting Private Birth and Marriage Certificate Providers

The United States Government oversees how companies procure and submit legal documents to help ensure the security and safety of consumers. Some of the most impactful regulations these companies face are listed below.

Obtaining Proper Licenses

Cities, counties, and states often have different requirements about what private certificate providers must obtain and keep up-to-date to operate legally. Because of that, the companies offering certificate-related services must keep up with the legal requirements of many locations nationwide.

If a business only provides marriage, birth, and death certificates on a state-wide basis, accreditation-related costs might not be a major factor. However, a private certificate provider providing copies of vital records nationwide may incur sizable costs to obtain the many licenses it requires.

Adhering to Data Protection Guidelines

Another major concern for consumers and businesses involves personal data. You don’t have to look far to find news stories mentioning data breaches costing companies millions or billions of dollars. These situations can also end up causing identity fraud and countless other problems for those whose data was exposed. For example, obtaining a birth certificate replacement typically requires adhering to HIPAA guidelines.

From the perspective of private providers, following government regulations means having secure, state-of-the-art technology. Some providers may face additional expenses due to the need for frequent system and database upgrades.

Following Consumer Protection and Anti-Fraud Measures

Unfortunately for private companies providing legitimate services, scammers and others with illegal intentions can utilize many methods to steal other people’s identities. Because of that, governments worldwide impose many strict anti-fraud measures to help deter and prevent identity theft.

Depending on the records being requested, certain local or national regulations may hinder any private company’s ability to procure specific record-related information. In other instances, these same businesses would need to complete additional time-consuming steps to obtain vital records.

How Regulations Impact Private Providers

You’ve learned about what types of regulations impact private companies that help individuals track down and receive copies of vital records. It’s time to learn how regulations impact private providers’ short- and long-term operations.

Increased Business Expenses

Sometimes, a sizable investment can come from complying with government regulations. For example, costs can include obtaining licenses to operate legally or purchasing professional-level cybersecurity solutions.

Keeping Up With Ever-Changing Regulations

Local and national governments create and update laws on a near-constant basis. That means private providers must stay up-to-date with these changes. Being compliant a year ago may not equal the same level of compliance now. 

Whether it’s the implementation of the GDPR in Europe or ever-evolving cybersecurity concerns in the United States, companies must often update their security protocols. Not doing so could mean this business faces hefty fines. It can also suffer from a damaged reputation. A local government could revoke a company’s business licenses in extreme cases.

As a result, vital records companies often pay significant operational and legal expenses to avoid breaking any laws.

Avoiding Legal Risks

Private companies that provide vital record copies must also ensure they continue updating their policies. If not, they risk facing legal action.

An example of this would be a private records company storing data in a way that doesn’t comply with government standards. This business could face significant fines or expensive lawsuits if that’s the case. Another similar situation would be a company accidentally delivering a birth, death, or marriage certificate to the wrong person’s address.

Potentially Longer Wait Times

Nearly every business wants to provide fast service for customers. The same holds true for private certificate providers. However, government-imposed procedural changes can often result in delays as the implementation of new measures begins.

For instance, a government shutdown would likely result in a nationwide halt of all requests. That includes requests from private marriage and birth certificate providers. A business could only complete these orders until the shutdown ends.

Another example is a private provider having to pause an order to obtain newly requested information from a customer due to newly imposed regulations.

Essential Regulations

Government regulations can occasionally frustrate private providers of birth, death, and marriage certificates. However, these laws serve vital purposes, including protecting consumers from fraud and identity theft.