Birth Certificate

[pollyandsay]

What is the name of your state? Michigan

Three months ago during a mediation meeting, my ex stated that he did not have medical insurance. Today I received an email from his mother that he wants to add our daughter to his insurance policy, and that he needs her birth certificate to do it.

In all of my years in mothering, I have never needed a birth certificate for insurance. I have only needed the social security number.

Now please understand that this man has never had one iota of interest in my daughter. He told the court 3 months ago that he did not want visitation or any type of custody. He just recently started paying child support.

I have insurance for my daughter. She does not need his insurance.

My question is do I have to give him a copy of her birth certificate?

I am very hesitant because he could use her birth certificate to get a passport for her, right? Although he is a citizen of this country, his parents are not. I don't want to lose my daughter.

He is now asking for visitation rights as well. A lot has changed in 3 months.

 

[pollyandsay]

The harm in giving a copy of the birth certificate is that he or his parents could use this to obtain a passport and take her out of the country.

How would a second insurance policy be beneficial, when the one I have is more than adequate?

I have only been receiving child support for the past month. Prior to this I have been the sole supporter of my child financially, and exclusively carried her insurance.

Now, do I have to legally give him a copy of her birth certificate?

Sidenote: His name is not on the birth certificate. With this fact in mind; can he obtain a copy of her birth certificate on his own from the courthouse?

 

[I AM ALWAYS LIABLE]

The harm in giving a copy of the birth certificate is that he or his parents could use this to obtain a passport and take her out of the country.

How would a second insurance policy be beneficial, when the one I have is more than adequate?

I have only been receiving child support for the past month. Prior to this I have been the sole supporter of my child financially, and exclusively carried her insurance.

Now, do I have to legally give him a copy of her birth certificate?

Sidenote: His name is not on the birth certificate. With this fact in mind; can he obtain a copy of her birth certificate on his own from the courthouse?

My response:

It doesn't matter whether you give him a copy of the birth certificate or not. If he wanted to, all he'd have to do is order a duplicate original from your county's "Hall of Records" or wherever they are officially archived. So, if it was his intent to take her out of the country, then without a Custody Order, he could take her. But, even if there was a custody order, parents kidnap their own children every day.

So, unless you're ordered by the court to give him certain documents, then don't comply. I hope you have, or are trying to obtain, a custody order that includes "monitored visitation."

If custody is still in, or will be in, dispute then the court will order a paternity test. If it comes back "positive," the court will further order that the birth certificate be amended to include bio-father's name.

Good luck to you.

IAAL

 

[pollyandsay]

Thank you.

I do have sole physical and legal custody of my daughter.

The lawyer and I drafted a visitation plan for supervised visits 3 months ago, but my ex stated that he did not want visitation.

My plan is to have my ex contact the lawyer to review and sign an agreement in a second mediation. I do not intend on sending my daughter with him until this is done.

I am glad that I do not have to give him a birth certificate. Thank you for that information.

This is just a rather shocking turn of events. Last year he threatened me, and told me that he did not give a f*** about our daughter. I guess the money he has recently started paying is making him care.

 

[lindsayilene]

"If custody is still in, or will be in, dispute then the court will order a paternity test. If it comes back "positive," the court will further order that the birth certificate be amended to include bio-father's name."

IAAL, this was not the case in my situation...
We had a paternity test done and the positive results were returned. However, the court did not order that his name be added to the birth certificate. Was something overlooked?

 

[bethdetroit]

here in MI if the father is not on the birth certificate, and paternity is established at a later date. Then it is up to the parents to add the fathers name to it. Here in MI to get it added you have to send a copy of the paternity test along with a courts finding that the test is correct. (just basicly a Child support order which names the man as the father) To the vital records department at the capitol in Lansing.

 

[bethdetroit]

Oh I heard something like that too. We live right by the Canada border and I can not take my daughter across with out haveing her birth certificate and a notorized letter from her dad saying he knows and agrees to let my daughter leave the country without him. Also My friend said she had to show her custody order before they would let her take her son into Canada.

 

[pthalo]

7 bucks & 4 days

I paid seven dollars and in four days I had a certified copy of my son's birth certificate. Vital records fall under the Freedom of Information Act and so long as you provide a viable reason for needed documentation and pay for the search and production of a certified copy, then you can get anyone's birth certificate... And we wonder how identity theft is possible??

I say cooperate with dad and even offer to photocopy the birth certificate.. He can't really use a photocopy to do much and I am pretty sure the insurance company will accept it.. If he needs/wants a certified copy tell him that he needs to pay to have his own drawn up.. Do all you can to be helpful, but draw the line at doing the busy work for him...

 

[cjmom]

bethdetroit

Just wondering about the father's name being added to the birth certificate - Me and my ex disagree about that whole thing - I told him he had to send in paperwork to get his name added and he said no they will do it automatically once he has paid off the fees for the testing and such. If he never sent anything in then he is not added to the birth certificate, right?

 

[pthalo]

Most vital record departments will not change the names without a request and sometimes will charge a small nominal fee.. They have too much work to do as it is to have to worry about every little change on documentation that they screwed up in the first place. (sorry misplaced anger over Vermont putting the wrong birthplace for me on my son's birth certificate).. He needs to send in his paperwork in order for the change to appear on the certified copy.. The records department will have it noted who the bio-father is, but until a request is made they won't produce another copy..

 

[haiku]

when my husband adopted our child I had to 'adopt" my own child to change MY name on the certificate. I just filled out the same paperwork my ex had to and it was all added in together at the time of the adoption.

 

[pthalo]

haiku

Doesn't bureaucracy suck.. You really didn't adopt your own child, at least in my opinion.. They just wanted some more paperwork to fill up their already overloaded schedules.. They want it to seem too difficult even to do the easiest thing so people will just give up and not even try..

Example:

Vermont is a closed state when it comes to criminal records.. To attain a complete state criminal record for any individual you have to contact all 14 district courts and request those records based on full name and birth date.. You then have to pay .25 per page and a minimum of 1.00.. All of this wouldn't be so bad if one agency (Criminal Records Center) didn't already have comlpete state files on all individuals who have been through the system.. Vermont isn't the worst either.. Other states require fingerprinting, pictures and other ridiculous demands.. All of this would seem to fall under the Freedom of Information Act but each state just makes it harder to get what you want, hoping that it'll just be too much effort for people to even try...

I now step off of my soapbox...

 

[bethdetroit]

njmom

I am not sure about your state but in MI. It is not added without a request to do so. And about a 40 dollar fee. Like Pthalo said, they are not going to go making another copy without being asked to do so. They are very overloaded with work.

 

[Beth Pouncey]

Does anyone know about how much a paternity test costs if it is court ordered? (I don't think those home tests are acceptable...)

 

[pthalo]

paternity tests

home paternity tests.. that's a new one. No you can either go through a lab and pay around $500 or if the court orders it they will pay for the initial testing.. states have their own rules about what happens next.. Some states require that one of the parties pays for the test based on the result, but others just right out pay for the test...