A public record of birth is preferred evidence only if it was established before age 5.
Follow the instructions in GN 00302.057 and GN 00302.058 to determine the availability of birth records from U.S. states and foreign countries
and whether to ask the claimant to obtain his/her public record of birth. See GN 00307.190
for instructions about the acceptability of foreign evidence and whether to request
it.