I second both points. You absolutely need to keep your own papers and records and it's fully expected as well. Also yes fancy paper is more valued than junky o

I second both points. You absolutely need to keep your own papers and records and it's fully expected as well. Also yes fancy paper is more valued than junky ones when nothing else remains, but random printouts are also provided everyday, and they're fine with it. At the crux of it, the foreign gov usually doesn't actually care that much about your birth certificate: they want due diligence at most, even if they'll have a more strict public facing facade. It's cross referenced only when it really matters (e.g. you're trying to get citizenship or a background check for security clearance ?)