[John Valentine]

The document you see is a certified statement that the facts attested to are as recorded in the specified book and page number.

Normally such a document is accepted at face value as a “Birth Certificate”. A similar doucment was accepted as proof of Birth in Indonesia when my wife applied for US Citizenship.

The “Original” is merely a consecutive page in a record book and will NEVER be removed. Normally authentication would consist of verifying that the record exists in the book and on the page specified. Unless, of course, a government thug goes to the archives and takes the page out at the point of a gun or at the back end of an envelope.

If that were to have happened, then there would be a gap in the sequentially numbered pages that would be so suspicious as almost to serve as authentication in and of itself in this case.

[Windflier]

The document you see is a certified statement that the facts attested to are as recorded in the specified book and page number. Normally such a document is accepted at face value as a “Birth Certificate”.

Thank you, John. Terrific, and very encouraging explanation.