Birth Certificate Amendments and Corrections: When You May Need a Legal Name Change in Florida
Summary
- A mismatch between your birth certificate and other legal documents can create problems when renewing a Florida driver’s license or government-issued identification card.
- Some birth certificate issues cannot be fixed with existing paperwork alone.
- In some cases, a legal name change may be needed before a birth certificate can be corrected.
- Regardless of where you were born, Family Diplomacy helps Florida residents seek legal name changes so they can address birth certificate amendments and corrections.
A Family Story About Birth Certificate Surprises
Though I am a proud Floridian, my great aunt and grandfather came over from Sweden with my great grandparents as children. For 50 years, they never knew that the last name on their birth certificates was spelled differently from the name their parents had used their entire lives. Like many immigrant families, my great grandparents changed the spelling to make the name look and sound more American.
This was back in the days when documents were not so closely scrutinized. We laughed when the old certificates were finally found because my great aunt had been celebrating her birthday on the wrong date for 50 years and declared she was not going to change now. What would be the point?
Why Birth Certificate Corrections Matter More Today
These days, if you have a birth certificate that is not an exact match with all your other documents, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles will likely inform you that your license cannot be renewed. You may be unable to correct the issue by just submitting paperwork you already have to Vital Statistics. In fact, you may need a legal name change to correct your birth certificate so that it matches your other documents.
