Can a birth certificate be changed?
There are very few circumstances where the name on a child's birth certificate can be changed. These are described in our article ‘How do you change your birth certificate?’ which is well worth reading because, if you do manage to get the birth certificate changed, you may not need a Deed Poll.
In cases where the child's birth certificate can’t be changed, you can change the child's name by Deed Poll. The new name on the Deed Poll overrides that on the birth certificate. But, because you aren’t changing the name on the birth certificate itself, you will always need to keep both documents safely together for whenever you need to prove your child’s identity in the future.
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Sections in this article
Click on the links below to view each section of this article.
1. Definition of father
2. Consent requirements
3. What is Parental Responsibility (PR) and who has it?
4. Important advice for mothers with sole PR where the father has regular contact
5. Changing a child's name without the consent of a father whose whereabouts is not known
6. Changing a child's name without the consent of an absent father whose whereabouts is known
7. Changing a child's name without the consent of an absent mother
8. Changing a child's name if the person named on the birth certificate is not the biological father
9. Applying for a court order to change your child's name without the consent of the other parent
10. The difference between sole custody and sole PR
11. Can a birth certificate be changed?
12. Important advice about booking a holiday
13. Example letters of consent
This page was last checked today by Julia Morgan, Senior Deed Poll Officer.