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How to Add a Child's Father to an Existing Arizona Birth Certificate ...

What if the Biological Parents were not Married?

There are two circumstances that parents need to consider:

1. What to do if the child's biological parents were not married at the time of the child's birth and the parents wish to add the biological father to the child's existing Arizona birth certificate ...
2. What to do if the child's biological parents were not married in the 10 months preceding the child's birth ...

Procedure:

Parents must complete the Acknowledgement of Paternity (AOP) form. This form affirms that the biological parents - voluntarily declare the child's biological father.  This may or may not be the individual listed on the child's birth certificate. Both parents must sign the Acknowledgement of Paternity form and have their signature notarized on the paternity form. 

Stop in to one our four locations and one of our professional Registrars will assist you with the process to make a change to your child's Arizona birth certificate. 

• In person, our Registrars can notarize both parents signatures as long as both parents are present and provide their required ID. 
• Parents may print and download this form from our website and have both parents signatures notarized on the form prior to visiting our office and submitting their application to make a change to an Arizona Birth Certificate
• The same requirements about needing a required ID with your signature applies as do the fees and forms of payment and additional forms that need to be completed when requesting to make a change to a vital record

Please allow for extra time to meet with our team and for us to answer your questions and assist with any further information you may need to complete this process.  We strongly recommend arriving an hour before our closing time.

What to do when you have a Court Order about Paternity?

If a court order was obtained to determine a child's biological father (paternity), please be prepared to provide the certified copy of the final order establishing paternity order at your visit to our office.

Note: All of these forms and/or accompanying court order must be provided before a\the father can be added to the child's Arizona birth certificate.

Important Update!

The State of Arizona recently revised the rules that govern vital records.  Please read carefully as information has changed.  Please take a few moments to read carefully as you gather the information you may need to apply for certified copies or proceed with making a request to change an Arizona vital record; information has been revised and there may be differences to how requests were made prior to these legal revisions.

And, feel free to drop by and meet with us at one of our four offices.  We are here for you! 

Requests for Birth Registration from Physicians, Registered Nurse Practitioners, Nurse Midwives, or Midwives

• Requests Submitted Within Seven Days After Birth - When a child is not born in a hospital and is born at home or another location and a health care providers such as a physician, registered nurse practitioner, nurse midwife or midwife attended the birth (delivered the child), the health care provider shall submit the following to the County Vital Records Office in the county where the birth occurred to request registration of a birth record:
  1. A completed Certificate of Live Birth Worksheet signed by the health care provider and the informant;
  2. If applicable, a certified copy of a maternity order that identifies the mother to be listed on the birth record; and
  3. If applicable, a completed, signed Acknowledgment of Paternity form that identifies the father to be listed on the birth record or a certified copy of an administrative order or court order establishing paternity.

  Note: If the request to register a birth record is submitted by mail, the mailing envelope must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the birth.

• Registrations Submitted More Than Seven (7) Days But Less Than One (1) Year After Birth - A health care provider may submit a request to register a birth record more than seven (7) days but less than one (1) year after a child's birth. The following shall be submitted to the County Vital Records Office in the county where the birth occurred of the birth record:
  1. A completed Certificate of Live Birth Worksheet signed by the health care provider and the informant;
  2. If applicable, a certified copy of a maternity order that identifies the mother to be listed on the birth record;
  3. If applicable, a completed, signed Acknowledgment of Paternity form that identifies the father to be listed on the birth record or a certified copy of an administrative order or court order establishing paternity; and
  4. A copy of the medical records related to the individual's birth.

Requests for Birth Registration from Persons Other Than Health Care Providers

• Requests Submitted Within Seven (7) Days After Birth - To request the registration of a birth record for a child not born in a hospital and whose birth was not attended by a health care provider, the child's parent, guardian or a person who has custody of the child shall submit the following to the County Vital Records Office in the county where the birth occurred to request registration of a birth record:
  1. A completed Certificate of Live Birth Worksheet signed by the person that attended the birth and the informant;
  2. If applicable, a certified copy of a maternity order that identifies the mother to be listed on the birth record;
  3. If applicable, a completed, signed Acknowledgment of Paternity form that identifies the father to be listed on the birth record or a certified copy of an administrative order or court order establishing paternity;
  4. One (1) evidentiary document establishing the mother's presence in Arizona at the time of the child's birth that:
     1. Contains the mother's first and last name, address or location where the mother was present in Arizona, and the date the evidentiary document was created; and
     2. The date the evidentiary document was created shall not be more than 30 days before the date of the child's birth or more than seven (7) days after the date of the child's birth.
        1. Examples: a utility bill, bank statement, rental agreement.
  5. One (1) evidentiary document that supports the fact of the child's birth such as:
     1. A copy of the mother's medical record that shows services received by the mother during:
        1. The three (3) months before the child's birth, or
        2. After the child's birth and before the submission of the request to register the child's birth record.
     2. A copy of the child's medical record, if seen by a health care provider before the submission of the request to register a birth record;
     3. The laboratory results of a newborn screening test, conducted under A.R.S. §36-694;
     4. An affidavit from an independent source, attesting to personal knowledge of the child's birth;
     5. A certified blessing or baptismal certificate for child with a raised seal of the church or accompanied by a written statement signed by the church minister or other church official; or
     6. Another document from an independent source containing information that supports the facts of the child's birth; and
  6. If the request for registration of the child's birth is submitted by:
     1. The child's guardian, a certified copy of the court order establishing guardianship, or
     2. A person who has custody of the individual, a certified copy of the court order establishing custody.

  Note: If the request to register a birth record is submitted by mail, the mailing envelope must be postmarked within seven (7) days of the birth.

• Requests Submitted More Than Seven (7) Days But Less Than One (1) Year After Birth If the birth was not attended by a health care provider, a child's parent, guardian or a person who has custody of the child may submit a request to register a birth record more than seven (7) days but less than one (1) year after a child's birth. The following shall be submitted to the County Vital Records Office in the county where the birth occurred of a birth record:
  1. A completed Certificate of Live Birth Worksheet signed by the person that attended the birth and the informant;
  2. If applicable, a certified copy of a maternity order that identifies the mother to be listed on the birth record;
  3. If applicable, a completed, signed Acknowledgment of Paternity form that identifies the father to be listed on the birth record or a certified copy of an administrative order or court order establishing paternity;
  4. One (1) evidentiary document establishing the mother's presence in Arizona at the time of the child's birth that:
     1. Contains the mother's first and last name, address or location where the mother was present in Arizona, and the date the evidentiary document was created; and
     2. The date the evidentiary document was created shall not be more than 30 days before the date of the child's birth or more 30 days after the date of the child's birth.
        1. Examples: a utility bill, bank statement, rental agreement.
  5. One (1) evidentiary document that supports the fact of the child's birth such as:
     1. A copy of the mother's medical record that shows services received by the mother during the three (3) months before the child's birth or six (6) weeks after the child's birth;
     2. A copy of the child's medical record, if seen by a health care provider less than six (6) weeks after the child's birth;
     3. The laboratory results of a newborn screening test, conducted under A.R.S. §36-694;
     4. An affidavit from an independent source, attesting to personal knowledge of the child's birth;
     5. A certified blessing or baptismal certificate for child with a raised seal of the church or accompanied by a written statement signed by the church minister or other church official; or
     6. Another document from an independent source containing information that supports the facts of the child's birth; and
  6. If the request for registration of the child's birth is submitted by:
     1. The child's guardian, a certified copy of the court order establishing guardianship, or
     2. A person who has custody of the individual, a certified copy of the court order establishing custody.

NOTE: If a request to register a birth record is not submitted to a Vital Records Office before the child's first birthday, the parent, guardian or a person who has custody of the child shall apply for a Delayed Birth Certificate.

Questions?

We are here to help you.  Stop by into one of our four offices and let us answer your questions and assist you with this process.

Thank you!