5 Common Errors on Birth Certificates and How to Correct Them

Unfortunately, errors are hard to avoid throughout life. Mistakes are sometimes where you least expect them, including on your birth certificate. Whether you’re confirming your identity for a new job, getting married, or anything else requiring a birth certificate, you don’t want errors on this piece of paper.

Take comfort that mistakes on birth certificates happen. No matter who’s to blame for these blunders, they’re almost always fixable. That doesn’t only apply to your birth certificate. Parents can even make corrections to their children’s birth certificates (in some cases).

But how do you make these changes? Get started by learning about the most common birth certificate errors and how to fix them.

1. Misspellings

No one is immune to having those pesky red lines appear on their phones or monitors, indicating that spelling or grammar errors are present. It’s understandable to make a mistake on information sent off to use for a birth certificate.

If your parents or the staff who helped bring you into the world got something wrong, you may feel shocked after buying a birth certificate copy that contains misspellings.

A spelling-related birth certificate oversight can involve, but isn’t limited to, your:

• First name
• Last name
• Place of birth
• Parents’ names (first and/or last)

If it makes you feel better, other people who dealt with misspelled birth certificates include Elvis Presley and Oprah Winfrey.

How to Fix It:

Are you correcting a misspelling as a parent for one of your recently born children? Most states allow parents to easily make changes to an infant’s birth certificate. However, this offer is only available for parents who act fast—many states only waive a court order for up to the first year of a child’s life.

What about if you’re an adult needing to resolve misspellings on your birth certificate? In that case, things can get more complex. In most cases, you must fill out a petition to request amendments to your birth certificate. You may also need a court order, depending on your state’s requirements.

2. Name Changes

Not all errors on birth certificates involve misspellings or mistakes. Everything can change over time, including your name.

However, whether due to mistakes or changes of heart, parents may want to change the legal names of their children. For example, a child and parent may want to change a surname from a parental figure who’s no longer in their lives.

How to Fix It:

Fortunately, not all name changes require birth certificate amendments. So, the first step is determining whether there’s a legal requirement for you to update your birth certificate.

For instance, you wouldn’t have to change the surname on your birth certificate after getting married. Additionally, there shouldn’t be a legal requirement to change the name on your birth certificate if you voluntarily change your name as an adult.

If you get required permission to change the name on your birth certificate, list your new preferred name and submit it to the appropriate state office. After a short wait, your birth certificate should reflect your requested name change.

3. Location-Related Errors

Besides your birth name, a birth certificate also contains information about where you were born. Most certificates list a hospital’s location, including its address, city, and state. Additionally, a birth certificate includes the address of a newborn’s parents.

This is another aspect of a birth certificate where errors are possible. Your birth certificate may include incorrect information about where you were born or your address at that time. No matter where you find a location-based error on this document, fixing it is possible.

How to Fix It:

Typically, the process for making name-related adjustments is similar to what’s required for location-based changes on your birth certificate. First, you must ensure you’re filing a petition with the correct state. Then, include the incorrect information involving the locations or addresses on your birth certificate.

Adults requesting location-based changes for their birth certificates typically require a court order to complete these actions.

4. Parental-Related Mistakes

Sometimes, the mistakes on your birth certificate don’t involve this document’s subject. Instead, mistakes that require correcting could involve parental-related changes. The person who’s the subject of a birth certificate and their named parents have equal rights to modify this document.

For example, your mother may want to correct your birth certificate to reflect her new last name. Another example could involve someone’s parent undergoing a gender transition. This person may prefer their child’s birth certificate to show up-to-date gender information.

How to Fix It:

Requesting parental changes on a birth certificate can get a bit more complicated than changing a simple misspelling, location-based error, or a name change. Most states will require information that verifies any requested parental changes. In this case, an often-used way to verify parental information is with a paternity test.

5. Gender Changes

As briefly covered in the previous point, names and locations aren’t the only types of information that may require changing. Certain states throughout the U.S. allow individuals to change their gender-related information on birth certificates.

Currently, 15 states combined with Washington D.C. allow residents to amend gender-related information on their birth certificates with a gender-neutral “X” marker.

How to Fix It:

Unlike the other errors in this list, not every state currently allows individuals to change information pertaining to their gender on birth certificates. The 15 states allowing this change are:

• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• District of Columbia
• Illinois
• Maine
• Michigan
• Nevada
• New Jersey
• New Mexico
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
• Vermont
• Washington

It’s worth noting that these states may have different requirements for how to make gender-related birth certificate amendments. Check the appropriate state department to find out the exact next steps.

Make the Necessary Corrections

There’s no doubting the importance of having a birth certificate. Wanting this document to be fully accurate is understandable. This feeling can also make it nerve-wracking to learn there are mistakes on your birth certificate. Thankfully, most mistakes only take a bit of time and effort for someone to correct.