How can I correct my name on my birth certificate in Nevada?

Full question:

I'm having trouble getting my state I.D because at the time of my birth my mother made a mistake on my birth certificate. My mom’s maiden name (Jackson) is on my social security card and my father’s maiden name (Glass) is on my birth certificate. So, I have two different last names. I am having trouble finding out where this error came from. I don’t have money to get a legal name change. How can I correct my name in the birth certificate?

  • Category: Vital Records
  • Subcategory: Birth Certificates
  • Date:
  • State: Nevada

Answer:

In Nevada, if your father's name is on your birth certificate, you need a court order to change your birth name. To correct the birth certificate, submit an Affidavit for Correction of a Record. One witness on the affidavit must be you, your parent, legal guardian, or the medical records clerk from the hospital where you were born.

The Nevada State Health Division’s Office of Vital Statistics handles all changes to birth certificates. The fee for amending a birth certificate is forty dollars, which includes one copy of the corrected certificate. The processing time for a new birth certificate is about one year.

Relevant statutes include:

  • Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 440.155: This statute outlines the requirements for registering altered or amended certificates.
  • Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 440.305: This statute states that the State Registrar will change a name on the birth certificate upon receiving a certified court order.
  • Nev. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 440.220: This statute discusses the enforcement of requirements by local health officers regarding birth certificates.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.

FAQs

If your birth certificate and social security card do not match, it can lead to issues when applying for identification or benefits. To resolve this, you should correct your birth certificate first, as it is the primary document. After making the necessary changes, you can update your social security records by providing the corrected birth certificate to the Social Security Administration. This ensures consistency across your legal documents.