How Do I Get My Name Put on My Child's Birth Certificate in Texas?
- 1). Provide your own identifying information (birth certificate, photo ID) when you are the child's parent and are married. The child's biological mother's name is automatically added to the birth certificate when it is issued at the hospital following the child's birth. If the mother is married, her husband is assumed to be the child's father and is listed on the birth certificate accordingly, if no paternity contest is made. A birth certificate will be issued listing both parents' names, with no further action needed.
- 2). Complete Texas Vital Statistics Form VS-159.1, Acknowledgment of Paternity, when the child's parents are unmarried and the father is accepting responsibility for the child. If the mother is married to someone who is not the father, her husband must sign the denial portion of this form. Mail this form to Bureau of Vital Statistics, 1100 W. 49th St., Austin, TX 78756-3191.
Acknowledgment of Paternity forms are issued by the Texas attorney general's office. They can be obtained only from an entity verified by the Paternity Opportunity Program, which can be found by calling 866-255-2006. Because the implication of these forms is important, they are issued only after the issuer carefully explains the legal ramifications of filing such a form. If this form is completed when the child is born, it can typically be obtained and explained by the birth registrar in medical records at the hospital. - 3). Complete an Application for a New Birth Certificate Based on Parentage when the father's name was omitted from or needs to be changed on a birth certificate issued when the child was born. This form must be notarized. You will need to attach a court-ordered paternity decree (obtained following a paternity test), a completed Acknowledgment of Paternity form or a certified copy of the biological parents' marriage certificate.
This form can also be used in surrogacy cases, when a gestational mother carries a baby who does not share her genetic material; in this case, application must be made to add the biological parents to the birth certificate.
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