Free Baptism Certificate Templates

What Is a Baptism Certificate?

A Baptism Certificate is a document issued by a church that provides information regarding a person being baptized. Usually, a baptism takes place during the early years of a child’s life but there is no age limit to when someone can become baptized. It is not uncommon for adults to become baptized and because of this, you will not find just one standard blank Baptism Certificate. In fact, there is a wide range of these certificates available and although the information on them doesn’t differ, they differ in layout and design. Some are tailored specifically towards children, whilst others are more minimalistic and would be better suited for adults.

The certificate itself acts as a celebration of baptism. Although for some people it is a commemorative document that they can keep and look back in the future, for others it could hold significant value and the certificate may even be requested at certain points in life. These may include admission to school (if you plan on attending a practicing religious school), if you are asked to be a godparent, and even during your own marriage.

For a full list of Baptism Certificate templates please feel free to explore our library below.

What Information Is on a Baptism Certificate?

A Baptism Certificate will contain all of the relevant information relating to your baptism. This usually includes:

• When (the date) the baptism took place;
• What time the baptism took place;
• The name of the person being baptized;
• The date of birth of the person being baptized;
• The time that the person being baptized was born;
• In some cases, the certificate may include the names of the godparents;
• The name of the designated individual who observed and carried out the baptism procedure;
• Information regarding the church that authorized the baptism;
• Signature and seal.

However, something that often gets overlooked and forgotten about is the back of the certificate. There you can find the Baptism Certificate with notations. This part of the certificate will contain recordings about religious sacraments such as confirmations, holy communions, and weddings. This part is of the certificate is filled in by each parish when and if required.

How to Get a Baptism Certificate?

A Certificate of Baptism is usually given out straight away following a baptism. It is handed out by the church and details of the baptism are entered into a database of said church to keep a record of such information. Although it is not a legal document, it may sometimes be requested by a church.

As a fair majority of people are baptized as babies, they may have no idea where the document is and may even not be aware of the existence of such a document. This is especially true for individuals that do not actively practice their religion. In such cases, it could be difficult to track down the certificate and find out who has the original or indeed, whether it still exists.

If you have lost your original Baptism Certificate, you may need to obtain another copy. In theory, this should not be so difficult. All you need to do is get in touch with the church where you were baptized and ask for another copy of the certificate. This should not be an issue because all information is stored away in their records. Only the church that holds these records has the power to issue another certificate. A certificate can only be requested for yourself, not for others - regardless of your relation to them. Things can prove difficult for individuals that do not know where they were baptized. This would require some more in-depth research and getting in touch with the godparents, if that is possible.

Still looking for a particular template? Take a look at the related templates below:

• Birthday Certificate Template;
• Marriage Certificate Template;
• Certificate of Authenticity Template.