If a correction needs to be made on a birth certificate, you can do so within the child's first year of birth. If the child is older than 1 year, you are required to contact the Illinois Department of Public Health to make a correction. Their information can be found on the Illinois Department of Public Health website.
ID Needed to Change Information
To change/add to the child's information, all parents listed on the certificate must come to our office in-person and provide a valid photo ID.
To change the mother's information, only the mother needs to come to our office with a valid ID. To change the father's information, only the father needs to come to our office with a valid ID.
Before your visit, you can download our acceptable forms of ID list (PDF).
Corrections That Can Be Made
The following corrections can be made within the first year of birth:
- Additions and/or changes of given names of the registered person
- Changes in the sex designation of the registered person
- Changes in the time of birth, if it does not change the date of occurrence
- Mother's residence and/or mailing address at the time of occurrence
- Parent(s) age(s), if within two-years of the age shown
- Parent(s) place(s) of birth, if the country is not different
- Spelling errors or omission of the parent(s) first or middle name(s)
We cannot change a last name anywhere on a certificate.