Questions About Birth Certificates
1. I want to be identified as the father on my child’s birth certificate. How do I do that?
District law determines the circumstances under which the father’s name will be on his child’s birth certificate.
Generally, the birth certificate must include the name of the mother’s husband as the father if she was married when the child was conceived or born, or between conception and birth.
If the mother was not married when the child was conceived or born, or between conception and birth, the birth certificate cannot include the father’s name unless the parents have signed an AOP, or there is a court order establishing paternity.
2. I want my child to have my last name on the birth certificate. How do I do that?
District law determines the last name (or “surname”) that can be given to a child. The last name can be:
- The mother’s surname when the child was born;
- The father’s surname when the child was born;
- Both parents’ names, recorded in any order, hyphenated or unhyphenated; or
- Any surname to which either the mother or father has a familial connection. (The District’s Vital Records Division requires a parent to sign an affidavit attesting to the familial connection.)
But for the father’s last name to be the child’s last name, he has to be recognized by law as the father. If the parents are not married to each other, the child cannot be given the father’s last name unless the parents acknowledge paternity or there is a court order establishing paternity.
