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Paternity on Birth Certificate faq

How do I change the father's name listed on my child's birth certificate?

If there is NO father's name on the birth certificate and you and the other parent aren't married, there are two ways to add the father to the child's birth certificate.

  1. You can open a parentage case with the Court. Once the legal parents are established by the Court, follow the procedure on the State Dept. of Public Health website  to request that the birth certificate be amended to include the father's name.

  2. You and the other parent can sign a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage .

If you want to CHANGE the father's name on the birth certificate, the situation is more complicated.

If the father's name is already on the birth certificate that means he either signed the birth certificate, was married to the mother when the child was born, or was already determined to be the legal father by the Court.

For help with this, visit a private attorney (see the local Bar Association website ), or visit the Court's Self-Help Center for more information.

 

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