How do I Amend my Birth Certificate After a Civil Name Change?

If you want to amend your birth certificate to reflect your new name after a Civil Name Change, you may want to start by reading this Informational Guide prepared by the California Department of Public Health.

The guide will provide you all the details you need to use your Decree Changing Name that you had signed by the judge to amend your birth certfiicate.

1. Certified Copy of your Decree Changing Name, which you can request from the Superior Court here,
2. Form VS-23, the Amendment of Birth Record to Reflect Court Order Change of Name, and
3. If you want an authorized copy, you will also need Form VS-20, the Sworn Statement, which must be notarized,
4. Plus the $23 processing fee as a check/money order payable to CDPH Vital Records. For $25 each, you can receive additional copies of the amended certificate.

How Else Can I Change a Birth Record?

You may want to read the pamphlet on the Application to Amend a Birth Record if you want to change a birth certificate to:

• Correct spelling errors
• Add the child’s first, middle, or last name to blank fields
• Correct the sex field, date, time, or place of birth of the child
• Change the sex listed to match the sex identity
• Add a parent’s new name after a court ordered name change
• Correct parents’ place or date of birth
• Correct typographical or spelling errors for parents’ name(s)

Read the guide carefully, and please note that there is no fee to submit an Application to Amend a Birth Record if it is submitted within one year of birth – however, if you want a certified copy of the new birth certificate, there is a $25 fee. For Affidavits to Amend Birth Records submitted more than one year after birth, the processing fee is $23, which includes a certified copy. Additional certified copies can be purchased for $25 each.

Where Do I Mail My Paperwork?

Each informational guide provides the mailing address for your paperwork. Unless the guide for your process states specifically otherwise, submissions for paperwork to amend/correct information on a birth certificate will be mailed to:

California Department of Public Health
Vital Records – Amendments – M.S. 5105
P.O. Box 997410
Sacramento, CA 95899-7410

I Want to Amend a Birth Certificate For Another Reason. What Do I Do?

If you want to amend a birth certificate for another reason, you should visit the California Department of Public Health’s website by

The Department of Public Health has informational guides prepared on a variety of different reasons why one may wish to amend their birth certificate, including:

• Acknowledgement of Paternity/Parentage
• Adjudication of Paternity/Parentage
• Reflecting Sex Change/Reassignment
• Reflecting Adoption

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