Article: Birth certificates, corrections and re-registrations Article Body Birth corrections Correcting a mistake What to do if a mistake was made when your child's birth was registered A registration is an historic record that records the details as they were intended to be on the day that the registration was completed. The information you will need to provide will depend on how soon after the birth was registered you realise a mistake has been made. If you made a mistake in the original birth registration, the person who registered the birth will need to prove that an error exists. If you realise a mistake has been made If you realise you made an error within a couple of weeks of registration you should write a letter setting out what the error is and how it came to be made. This letter should be sent to the Barnsley Registration Service who will pass it on to the Registrar General's Office who have to authorise all corrections to names. If there has been a longer time gap between registration and realising that an error exists, in addition to writing the letter setting out how the error came to be made, you will need to provide documentary proof, dated from the earliest infancy of the child, that you are bringing up the child in a name different to that recorded in the registration. This evidence could be in the form of a clinic card, NHS medical card or bank book. The letter along with the documentary evidence will then be submitted to the Registrar General's office for consideration. If it is another type of mistake, such as in a parent's name or place of birth, please contact Barnsley Registration Service for further information and advice. Birth re-registrations What to do if you want to change the name on your child's birth certificate, or correct a mistake made at the time of registration. You may wish to change the following details on your child's birth certificate: Re-registering your child's first name How to change your child's first name on the original birth registration. You are able to change the first name if you decide to do it within 12 months of the date of the registration of the birth. If your child has been baptised in the Christian faith If the child has been baptised within the 12 month period after birth registration you can: obtain a form by contacting the Barnsley Registration Service. take the form to the minister of the church in which the child was baptised complete the form and return it to your local Register Office. The amended names can then be inserted into the original birth register. This process can be done at any time after the birth as long as the baptism took place within 12 months of the registration. If your child has not been baptised If the child has not been baptised you can complete a form at your local Register Office. This process can be done at any time after the birth as long as it can be proved that the change of name took place within 12 months of the birth registration. Once the form has been completed the amended name(s) will be inserted into the original birth registration. Certified copies of the amended registration can then be purchased. The full copy certificate will contain both the original name and the new name. The short version certificate will only record the child's amended forename. Re-registering your child's surname Changing a child's surname How to include the father's details, change to the mother's surname, or change the certificate if the child's parents have married since the birth. Including the father's details If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth and the father did not attend with the mother to register the baby it is possible to re-register the birth at any time in the future to include the father's details in the registration and change the surname of the child. A form is available from theBarnsley Registration Service that has to be completed by both parents. The easiest way for the birth to be re-registered is for both parents to attend their nearest registration office together, once the relevant form has been completed and returned. However, it is possible for either parent to make a statutory declaration before a solicitor or other person able legally to witness an oath, acknowledging parentage of the child. It is also possible for either parent to seek a court order naming the father. In any of these cases the birth will be registered again and certified copies of the re-registered birth can be purchased from the registrar. Changing to the mother's surname If the parents were not married to each other at the time of the birth and it was decided to give the child the father's surname, whether or not he attended with the mother, it is not possible to change the surname in the registration back to that of the mother. The only alternative will be to consult a solicitor and make a statutory declaration or deed poll changing the surname of the child. This will not change the original birth registration. The statutory declaration or deed poll document should be attached to the birth certificate and this will provide evidence that the child is being brought up in a surname different to that recorded in the birth registration. If the parents have married since registering the birth If the parents have married each other since the birth was registered, the birth should be re-registered to accurately record the current legal status of the child. A form is available from the Barnsley Registration Service that must be signed by both parents. The form should be returned to their nearest registration office, together with a copy of their marriage certificate. Once necessary checks have been made, either parent can then attend the office: the birth will then be re-registered and the child's surname can be changed (with restrictions) as part of this process. For more information about corrections and re-registrations contact Barnsley Registration Service.