What You Need to Provide
Birth certificates can be corrected under certain circumstances prescribed by the Vital Records Act (410 ILCS 535) and 77 Ill. Adm. Code, Part 500 (see LAWS & RULES to the right). Every request is unique.
Every person authorized to request a correction must complete an Affidavit and Certificate of Correction Request. To find the form, see FORMS in the right-hand column. Completely fill out the form. Submit it with the following information: Because each request is different, additional documentation will be required and may vary according to the type of correction requested. For examples of documents that may prove the facts, see below. You must send:
A valid government issued photo identification (ID) that must be readable and is not expired/out of date (if an ID is not provided, unreadable, or expired, the request will be returned unprocessed).
To learn more about valid IDs, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column and click on IDs
To learn more about the required costs/fees, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column and click on Costs/Fees
Types of Documents
The documents listed below are provided as general guidelines. Any of the document(s) selected must have been created prior to the age of 19 and show the date of birth and the person’s name exactly as the customer wants it to appear on the birth record. In cases when the documentation provided does not clearly support the change requested, you may need to obtain a court order (to learn more, see RESOURCES in the right-hand column).
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Type of Correction Requested |
Suggested Documents |
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First Name |
Baptismal record |
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School records |
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Applicant's marriage/civil union record or license |
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Applicant's military ID with expiration date |
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Applicant's dated Social Security records (Numerical Identification System {numident} or earnings statement) Do not send your Social Security card. |
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Child's birth record |
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Immunization or clinic records |
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Middle Name |
Baptismal record |
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School records |
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Applicant's marriage/civil union record or license |
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Applicant's military ID with expiration date |
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Applicant's dated Social Security records (numident or earnings statement) Do not send your Social Security card. |
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Child's birth record |
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Immunization or clinic records |
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Last Name |
Parents' marriage/civil union record (if married/in a civil union prior to applicant's birth) |
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Father/co-parent's naturalization certificate |
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Father/co-parent's birth record (if filed prior to applicant's birth) |
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Birth record of older sibling (if filed prior to applicant's birth) |
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Parent's Name |
Parents' marriage/civil union record or license |
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Parents' birth record(s) |
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Parents' naturalization certificate |
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Date of Birth |
Hospital records |
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Baptismal record |
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School records |
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Immunization or clinic records |