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Changing the name on the birth certificate will most often require a DNA paternity test. Whoever has their name on the child’s birth certificate is bound by the legal obligations as dictated by the governing laws in the country in question. It is very important that the right people or biological parents be named- this is however, not always the case. To help make the process easier, DNA testing can do much to help.

The registering of births is a public document. Changes made will be mediated via the public registry.

If You are Married: The Birth Certificate

When a married couple have a child, the law automatically makes the assumption that the biological father if the husband. This means that automatically, the husband and wife’s names are placed on the birth certificate. Any suspicions can be conclusively solved with a paternity DNA test.

In some cases, you can just do a peace of mind paternity test rather that the Legal DNA Paternity test. This will solve any doubts you may have be telling you whether the child is really the biological child of the father in question. This test has, however, no legal validity. If you want to go ahead with a court cases and amend the birth certificate and the names on it, you will need to do a legal paternity test.

In the UK, if you are the mother of the child, you cannot go ahead and do the paternity test without the father’s consent. The same applies for the father; he will not be able to test a child without the mother’s explicit consent. This is because there is the Human Tissue Act which states clearly that takes any tissue or DNA sample from anybody without their consent and without them knowing what the sample will use for, is breaking the law.

 What if the Couple is not Married and has a Child

Unmarried couple who have a child must both present themselves when registering the birth of the child and putting their names down on the birth certificate. The father must essentially sign a declaration that he is the father.

For a father to be placed on a birth certificate in these circumstances there is no need for the proof of a DNA paternity test. Any man who wishes to be listed as the baby’s father can do so. However, the couple can take a peace of mind paternity test (at home paternity test) just to solve an doubts and get the right father’s name down.

There is a time frame within which the father can be registered. This time frame begins at the time of birth till when the child is 6 weeks old. This allows for ample time for a paternity DNA test to be carried out. The mother has the right to leave the space allocated to the name of the father blank if she does not know who he is.

 I Want to have my Name on the Child’s Certificate

If a man believes he is the father of a child and wants his name on the birth certificate. The mother will have to agree to this and if she does not, a legal case will need to be opened. The alleged father will require a legal DNA paternity test to prove his relationship to the child. Once this is confirmed, it will be possible to change the name on the birth certificate.