Amendments
Birth Amendments
Legal Name Change
Death Amendments
Adoption Procedures
Paternity Acknowledgement
Foreign Born Procedures
Delayed Birth Procedures
This page provides amendment
information, fees, forms and mailing address for submission.
Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records.
If you do not want your
e-mail address released in response to a public records
request, do not send
electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this
office by phone or in writing.
The Bureau of Vital Statistics has the authority to correct errors or complete
omissions on a birth
record. It does not have the authority to change a registrant's name. If you
need assistance with
your request
for an amendment to a vital record, call (904) 359-6900, Extension 9005
or email
us at
VitalStats@doh.state.fl.us.
Birth Amendments
If the birth record contains errors, it may be possible to correct the record.
For Birth
Amendment applications and forms, please see our State
Applications and Forms page.
Death Amendments
If a death record contains errors, it may be possible to correct the record.
Demographic Amendments
- Depending on the type of correction, documentary evidence to support the
requested correction may be required.
- A non-refundable fee of $20.00 which includes one certification of the record
is required by Florida law.
For
Death Amendment applications and forms, please see our State
Applications and Forms page.
Medical Amendments
- To amend the medical certification or cause of death section on the death
certificate requires the certifying physician or medical examiner to complete
and file the notarized Affidavit of Amendment to Medical Certification of
Death, DH 434A (2005 Version)
or Affidavit of Amendment to Medical Certification
of Death, DH 434 (2004 and prior). This includes not only the
cause of death and manner of death, but also"...the date of death, hour
or time of death or the place of death other than street address..."
- There is no amendment fee associated with a medical amendment;
however, if a certification of the amended death record is desired, a fee
of $5.00 for the first copy and $4.00 for each subsequent copy ordered at
the same time is required. Questions on the medical affidavit should
be directed to (904) 359-6900, extension 1088.
For
Medical Amendment applications, please see our
State
Applications and Forms page.
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Paternity Acknowledgement
A father's name may be added to his child's birth record only in the case where
the mother was unmarried at the time of the child's birth and no father is listed
on the birth record.
- Notarized signatures of both parents are required.
- If parents have married and they wish marital status amended to show "married",
a certified copy of the parents' marriage record is also required.
- A non-refundable fee of $20.00, which includes one certification of the
record, is required by Florida law.
- If you need additional assistance, call (904) 359-6900, Extension 9004
or email us at VitalStats@doh.state.fl.us.
For Paternity Acknowledgement Forms and Applications, please see our
State Applications and Forms
page.
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Legal Change of Name
If you have had a legal name change in a Florida court, a report of legal change
of name will be forwarded to our office by the clerk of the court, usually within
30 days. The birth record will be amended by attaching the change of name report
to the original birth record.
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Adoption Procedures
If an adoption has occurred, the clerk of the court will forward to our office
a report of the adoption within thirty days of the order. Based on this document,
a new birth record will be filed for the child.
- A non-refundable fee of $20.00 is required for amending the record and includes
one certification of the amended record.
- If the required fee does not accompany the report of the adoption, the record
will be amended and either the parent or attorney will be notified in writing
of the amendment and the fee requirement.
- If adopted in Florida but born in another state, the report of adoption
received from the clerk of the court will be forwarded to the child's state
of birth. Contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics in the child's state of birth
regarding their requirements in this matter.
- For additional assistance, call (904) 359-6900, Extension 9001
or email us at VitalStats@doh.state.fl.us.
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Foreign Born
Vital Statistics is
able to file Certificates of Foreign Birth for children born in foreign
countries to non-US citizens, based on orders of adoption whose judgment occurs
in the State of Florida . The court reports a foreign born adoption on the same
form, Certified Statement Of Final Decree Of Adoption DH Form 527 (870kb) as used to report an adoption for a child born in
Florida. The Certificate of Foreign Birth shows the adoptive name, the adoptive
parents, and will show the true country of birth. The record also bears
information regarding the court order, and has a disclaimer regarding the record
not being proof of citizenship. Certificates of Foreign Birth are not filed for
Canadian born children as by mutual agreement those orders are forwarded on to
the Vital Statistics office in the province in which the child was born.
The fee for filing a Certificate of Foreign Birth is $20.00. A second copy of
the record is $9.00, and any subsequent copies requested at the same time is
$4.00 each. An optional application is available for requesting the filing of a
Certificate of Foreign Birth.
Application For Certificate Of Foreign Birth DH Form 1178
(983kb)
For those who have already filed a Certificate of Foreign Birth, and just
wish to obtain additional copies, please use Form DH726 which is the application
for requesting any birth record placed on file in Florida.
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Delayed Birth Procedures
Florida law allows for the filing of a delayed birth certificate when no birth
certificate was filed within one year of the child's birth. If the child is
not yet one year old, the record may still be registered by contacting the vital
statistics office at the county health department in the county of the child's
birth for assistance in registering the birth. If the child is over one
year, the following information applies:
- A non-refundable fee of $20.00 is required by Florida law and will entitle
you to one certification of the record, if filed.
- Forms for filing a delayed birth record are mailed on an individual basis
and only after a result of a search of the State Bureau of Vital Statistics'
birth records when it is found that no birth record is on file for the individual.
- Documentary evidence supporting the birth facts is required. The number
of documents as well as the age of documents varies depending on the age of
the applicant.
- Such evidence must be in the form of original documents or notarized
or certified copies and must show the child's full name, age or date of
birth, place of birth and the date the original record was established.
- At least one document must also show the father's name and the mother's
full maiden name.
- If you have not yet had our records searched for your birth record and
wish to do so, submit your request in writing along with the search fee
of $9.00 to:
Bureau of Vital Statistics
Post Office Box 210
Jacksonville, FL 32231-0042
- If no record is found, you will be provided with a certified "not
found" statement and instructions for filing a delayed birth certificate.
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