It’s A Simple (Catch)22-Step Process!
Some years ago, I moved from New Jersey to Mississippi. I needed to get a Mississippi driver’s license. In the move, however, my birth certificate had been lost. I went online to order a new one from New York, the state in which I was born. I provided my New Jersey license as proof of who I was.
Cue the maddening runaround. Most of this took place by email. I was told that they could only mail the birth certificate to the address on my license. In New Jersey. I wrote back, explaining the predicament, and kept getting a copy-and-paste reply with the requirements. I was told to get a Mississippi license so the certificate could be mailed there. This would be the Mississippi license that I could not get without the birth certificate.
I emailed again. I got another copy-and-pasted reply that told me I would then have to submit two of the following: a land-based utility bill or a letter from a government agency that showed my Mississippi address. I wrote again, telling them that I was living on family property and had no utilities in my name. And I had no letters from a government agency. The reply I received suggested that I get a Mississippi license so the certificate could be mailed there.
I tried for days to get someone on the phone. When I finally spoke to someone and explained the situation, I was told I had to come to their office in person. When I mentioned the fact that I was about 1300 miles away, they had nothing further to offer.
I kept trying the email routine every few months over the next two years. Things only became more urgent when it was coming within six months of my New Jersey license’s expiration date. Then, luck and a little ingenuity came to my side. I knew that if I went to Social Security and said that I lost my card, they would order a new one and provide me with a letter that said a replacement would be forthcoming. That was my first government letter.
As luck would have it, my boss was friends with [Mayor], a man who had recently been elected mayor in [Town], a nearby town. I went to [Boss], explained the situation, and asked if [Mayor] could help. Of course, he did! Within an hour, I was the recipient of one lovely letter from [Mayor] on [Town] letterhead, thanking me for my support. My second government letter!
I was able to get my birth certificate within a few days.