A birth certificate is an essential legal document. It contains quite a bit of information, including the name of the child who was born and the names of the parents.
The following are some of the more important things parents should know about birth certificates.
The Information on a Birth Certificate
When a child is born, regardless of the state, the birth certificates are pretty standardized. The information on a birth certificate in the United States is also somewhat similar to the same documents issued in foreign countries.
In the U.S., there are actually two types of birth certificates—informational and certified.
The informational birth certificate includes the child’s name, the parent’s name, the time and date of the birth, where the birth took place, and the baby’s feet and handprints.
This isn’t an official birth certificate, nor is it filed with the records office in your state.
In nearly all cases, the hospital where your child is born will file and print the informational birth certificate. You might use this as a keepsake.
You can’t, however, use this informational birth certificate for legal reasons. It’s just a document showing the details of the birth of your child.
Certified Birth Certificates
A certified birth certificate reflects the recognition of the official birth of your child. Your state’s records office will issue this. The certified birth certificate is a legal document, and it can be used as a form of identification to get a Social Security card, get a passport and get a driver’s license.
The information on an authorized birth certificate includes the full name of the child, the sex or gender of the child, birth details, the birth location of the father, the birth date of the father, and the same information for the mother. The official birth certificate also includes the unmarried name of the mother and the residence of both parents.
While officially certified birth certificates are similar across states, there can be variations as well.
At a minimum, no matter the state, a certified birth certificate has to include the full name of the baby, the date of birth, the sex/gender, the place of birth, the names of both of the parents, and the official City, County or State seal.
The certified birth certificate is required to have an embossed, multicolored raised seal. It also must have the date it was issued and the signature of the registrar.
When a baby is born, you have to register for an official birth certificate within a year.
Information Not Included on a Birth Certificate
The goal of a certified birth certificate is to verify a child’s live birth. Things that are not included in it are the child’s blood type, birth weight, or Social Security number. The Social Security number isn’t included because a child won’t have one yet. The birth certificate is the first official document every person is issued.
Can You Change a Birth Certificate?
Every state, county, or municipality has its own rules and protocols regarding a change that needs to be made to a birth certificate. There may be an error, so the process to make a change in that regard would likely be pretty simple.
Increasingly, people want to change their name or gender, and not every state allows for gender changes, but every state does allow for name changes.
Establishing Paternity
When a child is born, if the parents aren’t married, a father can establish paternity while in the hospital by signing a Paternity Acknowledgement Affidavit. This means the father is acknowledging he’s the baby’s biological father, and if the signature is notarized, there is legal paternity. Then, the name of the father can be listed on the birth certificate.
The father also has to give his consent, in this case, for the name of the baby before it can appear on the birth certificate.
If a father signs a birth certificate but not an affidavit of paternity, then it doesn’t legally constitute paternity.
A father is given 60 days in most states to take back or rescind the affidavit, but they have to go through the Department of Vital Records to do so.
Requesting a Copy
Finally, if you want to request a copy of your child’s birth certificate, every state also has its own protocols for this. You might be able to request a copy of the document online through a state’s website, or you may have to go to an office of vital statistics, the department of health, or possibly the secretary of state’s office. If you want a certified copy, you’ll likely have to pay a small fee.
