VITAL RECORDS

Adjudication of Facts of Parentage

Changes to parentage on a birth certificate, including adding, removing, or replacing a parent, require an Adjudication of Facts of Parentage VS 21 (PDF) form and a court order when either of the following are true:

There is only one parent listed on the current birth certificate but both parents are not available to complete the Acknowledgement of Paternity/Parentage process.
There are existing names listed for both parents on the current birth certificate.

In each of the above instances, an adjudication of facts of parentage is necessary to amend the certificate. The adjudication order is issued by the court and must:

Instruct CDPH-VR to remove an existing parent on the birth certificate
Identify the parent that should be listed on the certificate
Include the child’s full name, date, and place of birth as stated on the original birth certificate
List the full new name of the child, (if being changed)

Information for the Adjudication of Facts of Parentage process is located in the “Add Remove or Replace a Parent on a Birth Certificate” pamphlet. To request an informational pamphlet, please provide the recipient’s name, mailing address, and the name of the pamphlet, "Add Remove or Replace a Parent on a Birth Certificate,” to the Amendment Section at AMENDVR@cdph.ca.gov or call (916) 445-2684.

An Acknowledgement of Paternity/Parentage is utilized when adding a parent to a blank space on the birth certificate. Both parents must be available to sign the VS 22 (PDF) form.

Supporting Documents

Supporting documents are used to support the information being amended. Acceptable documents include copies of the following:

Certified copy of court orders
Vital Records (birth, death, marriage)
All other documents that support the request for the amendment

A certified court order is required when submitting an Adjudication of Facts of Parentage.

Sworn Statement

A notarized Sworn Statement, completed by an authorized person, is required to receive a certified authorized copy of the amended certificate. Please visit the Authorized Copy vs. Informational Copy webpage for a list of authorized persons.

Certified Court Order

A “certified” copy of the court order must be a copy of the order that was originally prepared by the court. It cannot be an original printout. The photocopy you receive from the court must have all of the following:

An original court seal
A signature (or signature stamp) of the judge
A signature (or signature stamp) of the court clerk

Certificate Fees

Adjudication of Facts of Parentage requires a twenty-three dollar ($23) processing fee, which includes one certified copy of the new birth certificate
Additional certified copies are twenty-five dollars ($25) each