An altered birth certificate is a legal document that has been changed and reissued, often used for adoptive parents to establish legal status. It can also be used for gay couples and transgender individuals. Some controversy exists among adoptees who may want to trace their birth parents. Altered birth certificates should be marked as such, but are still legal documents. Official copies are available for a fee and should be kept in a safe place.
An altered birth certificate is a birth certificate that has been changed and reissued. One of the most common examples of an altered birth certificate is the birth certificate typically issued to adoptive parents, which lists them as the legal parents of the child they have adopted. An altered birth certificate is a legal document that can be used just like a regular birth certificate and often does not contain any information to indicate that it is an altered birth certificate.
For adoptive parents, an altered birth certificate is very important because it gives them legal status as parents. Without an altered birth certificate, parents may have problems later with things like transporting the baby across international borders or making decisions for the baby in emergency medical situations. For adopted children brought in from other countries, an altered birth certificate gives the child legal citizenship.
Among adoptees, there is some controversy over altered birth certificates. Some adopted children decide later that they would like to trace their birth parents, which can be very difficult without the original birth certificate. Some adoptive parents decide to keep a copy of the original birth certificate, so that the child can access it later if they wish, but altered birth certificates have also been used to hide the truth of an adoption, which can cause an embarrassing and painful scene.
A birth certificate can also be changed for other reasons. For example, a gay couple who have a child together may request an altered birth certificate listing both members of the couple as parents. Transgender individuals can also request altered birth certificates that reflect their gender and name changes, so they can use the altered birth certificate to submit new government identification and other documents. While these alterations have symbolic value, they also have legal significance; without an amendment listing both members of a couple as parents, for example, they would not have the rights parents are entitled to, ranging from the ability to visit their child in hospital to a child support court order, if the couple separates.
In some regions, an altered birth certificate must be marked as “altered” or “altered,” even if the original is destroyed or inaccessible. As long as the birth certificate bears an official seal and all the markings used to identify legal birth certificates, it is a completely legal document that should stand up to inspection by officials and hold up in court.
Keeping a copy of your birth certificate, along with other vital records, is a great idea. Official copies of birth certificates, altered or original, are usually available from the public records office of the county, state or district where someone was born; to order an official copy, people usually have to pay a small fee and present identification. These documents should be kept in a safe place, as they can be used to establish identity.
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