Name change of a minor

[erinspice]

What is the name of your state? Alabama

Hi! I have a 3 year old little girl whose middle name I spelled wrong on her birth certificate. I was trying to be cool so I spelled it differently. Now I'm regretting that, and I want to change the spelling of her middle name back to the standard spelling. I'm just now getting around to trying to have that corrected. I'm reading conflicting information about how to go about this. Some websites say that I can download a free form and fill it out and pay a fee. My local courthouse says I cannot complete a name change of a minor without hiring an attorney to fill out the paperwork. Any advice for me?What is the name of your state?

 

[moburkes]

What is the name of your state? Alabama

Hi! I have a 3 year old little girl whose middle name I spelled wrong on her birth certificate. I was trying to be cool so I spelled it differently. Now I'm regretting that, and I want to change the spelling of her middle name back to the standard spelling. I'm just now getting around to trying to have that corrected. I'm reading conflicting information about how to go about this. Some websites say that I can download a free form and fill it out and pay a fee. My local courthouse says I cannot complete a name change of a minor without hiring an attorney to fill out the paperwork. Any advice for me?What is the name of your state?

Since the people at the courthouse are not allowed to give legal advice, they referred you to an attorney. This isn't a real correction. A mistake wasn't made, you changed your mind. Let me see if I can find a form for you. What county are you in?

 

[moburkes]

That's okay. Does this help?

http://ph.state.al.us/Chs/VitalRecords/Birth/bamend.html

 

[erinspice]

Thanks! I'm in Madison County. I appreciate your help. Can you also include some basic instructions, like should I get the form notorized? Where do I turn it in? Anything else I need to know?

 

[nextwife]

Both parents must consent to the modification/change.

 

[erinspice]

That's okay. Does this help?

http://ph.state.al.us/Chs/VitalRecords/Birth/bamend.html

Yes, that may work for me. I assumed there would be some sort of time limit for corrections and that I'd have to go through a separate name change process.

Oops, editing to add that it looks like this will not work for me. According to that page, that form can be used "when the birth certificate was originally prepared by the certifier (doctor, hospital, midwife, etc.)" but I think I filled it out myself. Is this the type of legality that they would check for and deny my request as a result of?

 

[erinspice]

Both parents must consent to the modification/change.

That's not a problem. My husband is thrilled that I'm giving up the crazy spelling I fought for when I was pregnant with her.