We are frequently asked “Can a father be added to a birth certificate?” and the short answer is “yes”. Usually when a child is born, both parents’ names are added to a birth certificate. If you are an unmarried couple and both the birth mother and the biological father agree to be listed on the child's birth record, please complete an Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) form which must be filed with the Department of Human Services (DHS). Not all states may require that the form be notarized. There are unfortunate instances where a man will have legally established paternity only to find out he is not the biological father… All parents listed on the birth certificate must sign the Birth Correction Form. To correct this type of error, complete the Birth Record Correction Form (located on the back of the birth certificate). In these cases, it’s imperative that you are able to change or modify your birth certificate to reflect all of the pertinent details that identify who you are. Once you receive this notification from us, you may apply for a new birth certificate. If you do not have your child's birth certificate, you may download a Birth Correction Form from our website. Checks should be made out to the “State Board of Health.”. Adding a father to a birth certificate is a two-step process. As required under legislation, we must notify your husband of this child's birth prior to adding the biological father to your child's birth record. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Married same sex parents also can add their names to birth certificates. A step-parent must also submit a marriage certificate to support the relationship to the person named on the birth certificate. Present a written request and a sworn AOP form soon after the birth of the child to add a parent's name to the birth certificate. Once the paternity request has been granted by the state, both of the child’s parents must sign a “paternity acknowledgment form” in the presence of a notary public. Please check the item that applies to you. The name can be added at any point after the child’s birth, even years in the future. If you’ve married your child’s father since the birth, you’ll need to present your marriage license to the Office of Vital Records too. The idea that including the father on the birth certificate makes it easier for him to get custody is a misconception. Consult the state’s DOH website for clarification. For the reasons outlined in Part 4 below, this form is to be used to add a father to a child’s birth record that is registered in Pennsylvania. Division of Vital Records P.O. wikiHow's. If you completed the AOP at time of your child's birth but the birth certificate does not list the father, please follow up with DHS at 800-932-0211. Proudly founded in 1681 as a place of tolerance and freedom. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. You must be an eligible applicant. Original birth certificates for 1906-1915 and death certificates for 1906-1970 are available at the State Archives. There are two ways to add a father's name to the birth certificate. This request must be signed by both parents of a child born out of wedlock. Application to Add a Father to a Birth Record. I'm living in El Paso, Texas. If the mother did not put someone else's name on the birth certificate as the biological father, this procedure changes the child’s last name to that of the father and also adds the father's name to the birth certificate. please do not order a new birth certificate until we notify you that your child's birth record has been corrected. If you did not list your spouse on the mother's worksheet, then you can add your spouse as follows: By providing us with a Certificate of Adoption. Sometimes the father of a child does not have his name placed on his child’s birth certificate at the time of birth. Please see the Adoption Information on My Records page for more information. Missing – If your father or second parent’s name is not on your birth certificate, you can choose to update it at any time. DATA ORIGINAL RECORD NOW READS CORRECTION(S) DESIRED (print full names, dates, other) NAME AT BIRTH . If you are married and had a child with someone other than your husband, contact our office at 724-656-3100 for further assistance. Corrections and amendments to birth certificates may be made to a variety of fields on the certificate. This request can be made in person or by mail. Therefore, if the courts have determined that someone other than the individual(s) listed on a birth certificate is a parent of the child, then the court must issue a court order to first remove the individual who is not the parent of the child. You’ll need to fill out the form, print it out, and sign it in front of a notary. Birth and Death records from 1893 through 1906 are maintained by the Clerk of Orphans’ Court in the County Archives, 150 Pleasant Acres Road, York, PA 17402. How do I do it? Access the form online at: Similarly, Minnesota requires the father to fill out a “Voluntary Recognition of Parentage Form,” available online at: Check with your bank or other financial institution to see if they have an on-staff notary. However, the basic steps should all be similar, even though each state will require you to fill out their own paperwork. If you’re not married, you’ll have to file a paternity request form, which you can find on your state’s Department of Health or Office of Vital Records website. Once you have verified that DHS has processed your AOP, complete an Application to Add a Father to a Birth Record. Yes, you can ask for the father's name to be included on the birth certificate. Documentary evidence required for the correction or amendment varies depending on the requested change and the time since the creation of the original record. before your child is six months old. If you are a same-sex couple, your spouse should be listed on the child's birth record if you included your spouse's information on the mother's worksheet that you completed at the birth facility. only enter the information that needs corrected on the child's record. You may request a certified copy of a birth certificate from your local county office or the State Office of Vital Records. DOH-1862 Affidavit for Conforming Name Change (PDF) Use this form for changing the child's surname from a Family Court order. This information is used to identify the birth record that needs updated. Do not use this form to add a parent to a child's birth record. If you have a certified copy of a court order to remove a parent from your child's birth record, you may submit a Birth Correction Form along with the certified copy of the court order (which must include the raised seal of the court). Use this form for adding the biological father's name if the mother was not married any time during her pregnancy and the father's name was omitted from the birth certificate. Once a child is born with only the mother listed on the certificate, a father may be added through the correction process. For example, if you live in Minnesota, the state DOH presents information regarding birth certificate changes at: For example, the state of Alabama requires you to fill out a “Request to Add Father to Child’s Alabama Birth Certificate” form. While we receive most of these court orders directly from the courts, you may also submit an. If you submitted a Birth Correction Form, If you completed the AOP at time of your child's birth but the birth certificate does not list the father, please follow up with DHS at 800-932-0211. You will probably need the assistance of an attorney on this matter. Only add the name of the child’s biological father to the certificate. Digital copies of the 1906-1911 birth certificates and the 1906-1968 death certificates may be found on Ancestry.com. You are changing the last name of your child. The following information provides direction on how to correct errors on your child's birth certificate. At no time will we add a third parent to a child's birth record. DOH-1927 Conforming Name Change (PDF) Once you have successfully added the father to the child's birth certificate and had the child's last name changed to match the father's. DATE OF BIRTH SEX FATHER/PARENT To undertake this, complete a Change in Civil Status form. If you are correcting information on the child's parent (such a name, age or birthplace), you must also provide documentary evidence to support the change. This is your child's first official identification, so please keep it in a safe location. If you delivered your baby in a licensed Pennsylvania birth facility, you likely were provided with a birth mother's worksheet which is used to collect information to be included on the Report of Live Birth. Once your paternity request has been granted by your state, both parents will need to sign a Paternity Acknowledgement form in the presence of a notary. Once the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PATERNITY is signed by both parents, the name of the father is placed on the child's birth certificate. For more tips, including how to find a notary in your area, read on! Re-register your child’s birth to add the natural father’s details to the birth record. How to Add a Father's Name to a Birth Certificate, http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/osr/rop.html, http://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords/assets/hs75.pdf, https://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Public/DHS-3159-ENG, https://www.childsupport.ny.gov/dcse/aop_forms.html, http://www.scdhec.gov/VitalRecords/Locations/, http://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/vitalrecords/birth-certificate-corrections.html, http://www.scdhec.gov/VitalRecords/PaternityAndLegitimation/, https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/services/certificate-corrections.page. Application to Add a Father to a Birth Record. STEP 1: ESTABLISH PATERNITY In order to add a father's name to a birth certificate, he must first be established as the child’s legal father. First, you must establish paternity and then submit the correct form to the Texas Vital Statistics office. Can the father's name be added after the baby is three years old? For example, if you live in New York state, access the Acknowledgment of Paternity form online at: You must have legal proof of biological paternity before filling out the paternity request form. … However, for various reasons, the father’s name sometimes must be added to the birth certificate weeks or months after the mother’s name has been added. Once the father is deceased, however, in order for the child to inherit from the father or to receive Social Security benefits based on the father's work history, the father's name must be listed on the birth certificate. How do you request a certified copy of a birth certificate? One benefit of having the father listed is that your child, until the age of 18, will be entitled to social security death benefits if the father passes away. The father’s name is typically added in one of two situations: either when the child’s parents are married after the child has been born or when the … For more tips, including how to find a notary in your area, read on! Notaries are also commonly found at city or county buildings like city halls or court houses. Keystone State. … Please allow approximately four to six weeks for processing of your child's Birth Correction Form or Application to Add a Father to a Birth Record. Upon update to this record, an updated birth certificate will be issued. You may need to amend the birth certificate by removing the name of a man incorrectly assumed to be the child’s father and replacing it with the real father’s name. To be eligible to add a father to a birth record, you must be one of the following. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. While most Reports of Live Birth are submitted with 100% accuracy, sometimes typographical errors do occur. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. I did not put my baby's father's name on the birth certificate when the baby was born. In most states, paternity can be legally established by the father signing the birth certificate, through marriage, and by the father signing a sworn statement in family court. If you submitted an Application to Add a Father to a Birth Record and you indicated on the form that you want an updated birth certificate, you do not need to do anything further. the State Office of Vital Records in Atlanta or the Vital Records Office in the county where the child was born. To remove a parent from a birth record, we must receive a court order that provides appropriate detail on why the parent's name is being removed. The form also needs notarized if one of the following applies: If your child's birth certificate only lists one parent, you may add a second parent to your child's birth record as follows: Married Couples If you were married at the time of your child's birth, then the birth mother's spouse is the child's legal parent unless a specialized registration process has been used to list a biological father on your child's birth record. Spouse. A mother may file such an action if the putative father – the alleged father – denies that he is the father. How do I add the father's name on the birth certificate if I now live in New Jersey but the child was born in New York City? There are pros and cons of putting the father on birth certificate but ultimately the decision is extremely personal. See ordering a birth certificate for details on how to apply. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. All he has to … Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 30,739 times. Microfilm copies of these records are available at the Family History Library and Family History Centers. Birth and Death Certificates for Pennsylvania from 1907 to the present are maintained by the PA Division of Vital Records. If you’re mailing in the paperwork, you can include a notarized photocopy of your marriage license in the envelope. The processing time to add the father’s name to a birth certificate should be under a week. For example, the Minnesota DOH often processes paternity requests in fewer than 5 days. If the person you are currently married to is not the child’s biological father, their name shouldn’t appear on the birth certificate. Even if the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PATERNITY is cancelled within 60 days, the birth certificate can only be changed and the father's name removed by a court order. To receive a corrected birth certificate free of charge, please return your child's original birth certificate along with your request You cannot just add your father's name unless both parents are available to sign an "Acknowledgement of Paternity" form. The husband is the legal father and his name will be on the child’s birth certificate. There is no time limit regarding when you can file to have the father’s name added to a birth certificate. as currently listed on the birth certificate. Adding Father to Birth Certificate When You Marry the Child's Father After the Child is Born If there is not a father listed on your child's birth certificate and you were not married at the time of your child's birth or anytime during the pregnancy but later marry the father and want to have his name added to your child's birth certificate, you can request what is called a 'legitimation' of birth. Name index to birth, baptism and christening records from the state of Pennsylvania. How much does it cost to add a father's name to a birth certificate? This information may also be available through the state’s DOH website. To order a Parentage Verification Letter, submit the 422-163 Parentage Verification Order form (PDF) to the Department of Health. If the paternity is disputed, the form will not be processed and a paternity test may be legally required. By using our site, you agree to our, Completing Paperwork to Alter the Birth Certificate, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b4\/Add-a-Father%27s-Name-to-a-Birth-Certificate-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Add-a-Father%27s-Name-to-a-Birth-Certificate-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b4\/Add-a-Father%27s-Name-to-a-Birth-Certificate-Step-1.jpg\/aid9762227-v4-728px-Add-a-Father%27s-Name-to-a-Birth-Certificate-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"