How Do I Get New a Birth Certificate After a Name Change?
Changes to names on birth certificates are carefully documented to avoid fraud. The exact process for getting a new birth certificate or changing your birth certificate after a name change varies from place to place, but there are certain universal steps you will probably have to go through to amend your birth certificate.
Application and Petition
The first step to getting a new birth certificate is to complete an Application for Amendment of Birth Record to Reflect Court Order Name Change. You will probably obtain this application from your Vital Records office and return it there when you're finished. There will probably be a fee, around $20, and once the Records office has your application, it may take several months to process, depending on the workload.
The petition to have a new birth certificate issued that reflects your new name is usually filed with the Superior Court in the county in which you reside. If you are having trouble with the paperwork or would like additional counsel about going to court, you may want to hire a family law attorney to help you with the process.
Court Order
If you've had a court-ordered name change, chances are you won't receive a new birth certificate. Rather, you'll receive an amendment to your old birth certificate, depending on the circumstances surrounding your name change. However, many states don't automatically amend your birth certificate after a court-ordered name change, so you must fill out an application and submit it, along with a certified copy of the court order and a photocopy of your original birth certificate if you have it, to your county's Vital Records office. You may also need to prepare a statement of why your birth certificate should be changed.
Adoption
Many name changes occur because of adoption. In the case of adoption, it is possible to get a new birth certificate, but most of the time, the Records office keeps the child's old birth certificate in a sealed file as well. If you're getting a new birth certificate because of an adoption, you should include a certified copy of the Adoption Report or the Adoption Decree and adoption fact sheet with the application for a new birth certificate.
Tags: birth certificate, your birth, your birth certificate, name change, Records office