Oklahoma State Department of Health - Certificate Amendments

Any amendment is subject to certificate review and consideration of any previous amendments to the record, previous court actions as well as administrative actions. Specific instructions will be made on an individual basis after receipt of proper application, ID and fees.

The regular application process should be adhered to, with an attachment by the applicant of the items desired to change indicating the information as it appears on the record and the information of the requested change.

All documents are subject to review, verification and acceptance.

Birth Certificate Amendments

Amendment Fees

Please refer to the Birth Certificate fee schedule for applicable administrative fees.

Minor Corrections

Minor errors contained on the birth certificate, such as the day of birth, minor spelling error i.e. Carol-Carole, in most instances, can be accomplished by presentation of a variety of established documentation such as early school records, military records, marriage license, child’s birth record etc. These records must be of official record that can be verified and established in accordance with department rules.

Major Corrections

Major errors contained on the birth certificate including names that are different, significant date changes changing parents names (see Adoption or Paternity below) are subject to administrative review. A court order may be required.

Adoption

An adoption will be processed upon receipt of the proper court documentation. An adoption occurs when one or both of the individuals determined at the time of birth to be the parents are changed. The parental information as well as the child’s name (if desired) will be updated in accordance with Oklahoma law and the courts order.

Paternity and Parentage

Please refer to the official website for the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Child Support Enforcement Division for proper information and forms.

Death Certificate Amendments

Attending Physician/Medical Examiner Section

Items in this section may only be amended upon application of the medical examiner or the attending physician indicated on the original filed certificate of death. This section includes the cause and manner of death as well as other pertinent information related to the fact of the death.

Funeral Home Section - Minor Changes

Minor corrections to a death certificate can be made with a statement of correction from the funeral home which must attest to the fact that the corrections are being made based on an error made for the funeral home. In some cases additional documentation will be required to clarify the item such as minor misspellings.

Funeral Home Section - Other Changes

All other changes are subject to review and submission of legal documentation. Applications submitted and not accepted may be submitted by filing a petition with the Administrative Hearing Clerk pursuant to OAC 310:2 and seek a final decision by an Administrative Law Judge granting the relief requested. The applicant shall bear the burden of proof, by clear and convincing evidence that the proposed change, alteration or amendment sought by the Applicant corrects an error or misstatement of fact as to any information supplied to the State Registrar by the funeral home.

return to top

Return to Birth & Death Certificates Main Page