Your birth certificate is important throughout your life.
You may need a birth certificate to obtain a driver's license, verify employment eligibility, or apply for a passport. It can be distressing to learn that you have lost it or that it contains incorrect information. However, either of these situations can be remedied through the Indiana State Department of Health or your local county health department.
Filing the Birth Record
The Indiana State Department of Health indicates that by law, births are to be registered with the health department of the county in which they occur. The hospital or birthing center where a child is born usually files his birth information. In cases such as a home birth, where a child is born outside a medical facility, a person in attendance at the birth must file the birth certificate with a county health official. The Indiana Birth Registration system allows hospitals and health departments statewide to file the information electronically.
Adding the Father's Name
If an unmarried mother wishes to add the father's name her child's birth certificate, she may file a paternity affidavit. She and the father can complete the affidavit at the hospital within 72 hours of birth. They may also file it at the local health department in the county where the child was born within the first 18 years of life. The mother and the father must sign the form before a notary public.
Obtaining a Copy
You may obtain a copy of a birth certificate from the Indiana State Department of Health or from the local health department in the county where the person was born (records prior to 1907 are only available from the local health department). Birth certificate requests require the purchaser to have a direct interest---that is, to have a financial or legal interest in the record or to be an immediate family member. The requester must show proper identification, which may include a photo ID or one of a variety of other approved documents such as a Social Security card, signed credit card or vehicle registration. The first copy of a birth certificate costs $10; each additional copy purchased at the same time costs $4. You may also order official Indiana birth certificates online through VitalChek.
Making Corrections
To make changes to a birth certificate, contact the Corrections Section of the Indiana State Department of Health Vital Records Office .
Indiana State Department of Health
Vital Records Office/Corrections Section
6 West Washington Street
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204
317-233-2700
in.gov/isdh
Tags: birth certificate, Department Health, health department, Indiana State, Indiana State Department, State Department
