I'll be interested to hear about this. I've never ordered from the State of NY because I was told early on that I'd get things sooner from the local offices. No one has ever asked for my ID when I've made those requests. The current form online at the State Vital records states that you need documentation of your relationship if you are requesting records that are more recent than 50 years for marriage and death records or 75 years for birth records. And it states that the person whose records your are requesting must be known to be deceased. I confess, I don't remember exactly what was being requested at Yonkers that started this thread, but maybe the date is the issue? Los Angeles County is funny. Death certificates, for the most part, are public records and can be inspected by anyone. You just can't get a copy. So I can go to the office, look up a certificate number , they pull the film and, get this, make a copy for me to look at. But I have to give them back the copy before I leave. I haven't been there in a while and this was before everyone and their Aunt Fanny had a camera in their phone. Don't know what they've done about that if anything. The land records office is across the hall. Wonderful dusty old room that you can wander around in and look at the indexes, books and microfilms on your own. But again, no copies can be made and they must be ordered by mail. Kathi IBSSG New York - Thompson/Crane/Bramm/Fleischer Wisconsin - Meissner/Steng/Diem/Zeininger In a message dated 3/29/2007 10:20:09 AM Pacific Daylight Time, clifflamere@nycap.rr.com writes: I phoned Yonkers twice yesterday to see what they said about the need to prove your identity by providing a driver's license. The information that I was given was conflicting, so I spoke with the Registrar today. She agreed with the need to provide a drivers license or photo ID in order to get either a genealogy or certified certificate. I believe she is wrong. I told her that I have bought hundreds of them from the state and was never asked to provide any such proof. The Registrar told me that another genealogist had raised the same question in the past and that she had phoned Albany to confirmed that what Yonkers was doing was correct, as well as required by the state. She said that she had a general information form from the state, on the back of which it stated the requirements. She told me that even a paid researcher who wanted to get a certificate for a client would need to get a release from their client in order to get it. I will receive the general form in the mail soon, so that I can read the requirements for myself. Something is wrong, but I can't tell what by the information that I received over the phone. More later. Cliff Lamere ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.