Dear Gayle,
Birth records are kept and organized by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Office of Vital Records. They have birth certificates dating back to 1900. In the past, birth certificates were filed in the county of birth, but over time, management of birth records transferred from the counties to the state. Since 2001, birth records have been electronically registered.
There are ways to change your birth certificate. If the change to the birth certificate occurred in the first year, a correction can be made at no cost. After the first year, for cases like yours, an amendment to the birth certificate needs to be made. To file for an amendment, you pay a fee (as of April, 2022 that fee is $40) and provide MDH with some documentation. This process is completed by mail. Note: amending a birth record is not the same as adding a parent to the record or replacing a birth record after an adoption.
The data on a Minnesota birth record is called certification items. These items can be amended. They include:
• First, middle, and last name
• Date of birth
• Time of birth
• Plurality (single birth, twin, etc)
• Sex
• Place of birth
• Parent’s name
• Mother’s maiden name
• Parent’s date of birth
When a person’s name or date of birth is amended, the birth certificate will indicate that the item was changed. Notes about the amendment will be printed on a certificate. The notes will say what was changed, the documents used to justify the amendment, and the date the amendment was made.
To file an amendment, you complete the amendment form, which can be found on the MDH website, Birth Record Amendments - Minnesota Dept. of Health (state.mn.us).
Along with the completed form, you need to send in documentation that reflects the correct information about you. The documentation you provide must show the information exactly as you want it to appear on your amended birth certificate. For an adult over age 7, these documents will have to be 7 years old or older. Some acceptable forms of documentation are:
• Authenticated school record or official transcript
• Authenticated hospital or clinic record
• Valid passport
• Original or certified copy of a US military discharge (DD214)
• Certified copy of a marriage certificate
• Certified copy of a birth certificate of a child
• Baptism certificate or other church record with a phone number for the church to the record may be verified.
• Original or certified copy of a naturalization certificate
• Official tribal enrollment record
• Certified copy of a court order
Each document must be legible and in English or submitted with a notarized English translation. Each document also must not show any sign of alteration, erasure, or change of pertinent information. Documents like a driver’s license, Social Security card, tax returns, pay stubs, etc are NOT acceptable forms of documentation.
Once you have gathered the documentation and completed the amendment form, you send the information and payment to:
Minnesota Department of Health Central Cashiering Vital Records P.O. Box 64499 St. Paul, MN 55164-0499
You can also contact the MDH at health. amend@state.mn.us or call 651-201-5990.
