How do I change/correct a birth certificate?
- I heard that there is no charge for correcting a birth certificate for a child under a year-old. Is that true?
- Examples of corrections:
- My child's name was misspelled
- A parent's name was misspelled
- The sex of the child is incorrect
- Change child's surname following the determination of parentage from Family Court
- Change the child's surname following the marriage of the mother and father after birth when an Acknowledgment of Paternity was completed
- Other situations as they arise
Answer
Birth certificates can be corrected or amended. A birth certificate is corrected when there is a typographical error, like a misspelled name. A birth certificate is amended when someone has changed their name or they are adopted by a new parent and want their birth certificate to show the new parent.
If you or your child were born in New York City, you will apply for the correction or amendment from the New York City Department of Health. Their webpage on birth certificate corrections and amendments, which includes the application you will fill out and submit, is here. Please note that if you want to correct your child's birth certificate and they are less than a year old, the fastest way to so is to bring the original birth certificate and a completed birth certificate correction application to the hospital where your child was born. If the NYC Department of Health denies a correction and directs you to get a court order to make a change, please review this guide on what to do from the New York County Supreme Court Help Center.
If you or your child were born outside the five boroughs (Bronx, Kings [Brooklyn], New York [Manhattan], Queens, Richmond [Staten Island]), you will apply for the correction or amendment from the New York State Department of Health. Their instructions for how to correct a state-issued birth certificate are linked here. This guide is also linked on their general webpage on birth certificates.
If you or your child were born outside New York state, you must apply for a birth certificate correction or amendment through the Department of Health or Vital Records in the state of birth. You can look up contact information for the appropriate state agency through the USA.gov's directory of state, local and tribal governments.