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Birth Certificate Corrections

Before you begin:

Is this page for me? This page is for people who need to correct an error in a parent's name on a birth certificate. Maybe the parent's name is spelled wrong, or a middle name and last name are accidentally reversed. This process does not work to change the name of the person born, or to change the parent to someone else.

To change a child's name, please see Child Name Changes.
To change an adult's name, visit Adult Name Changes.
If the parent listed on the birth certificate is not actually the parent of the child and needs to be removed or changed, please see Filing for Paternity/Custody.

What about changing the gender? Gender changes do not require a court order. Individuals born in Nevada can change their gender on their birth certificate by completing some forms with the Nevada Office of Vital Statistics. Visit their site or call Vital Statistics at (775) 684-4242 for more information. You can learn more about correcting your gender marker on your birth certificate, driver's license, and with social security by visiting the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada.

If the child was born recently: Contact medical records at the hospital where the child was born. The hospital might be able to correct any mistakes for you.

CAUTION!

This process only corrects a clerical error regarding a parent's name on a birth certificate. This is not the process to change the name of the person who was born or to remove/change the named parent on the birth certificate.

Follow these steps to file for a birth certificate correction:

Copy bw 1. Fill out the forms. There are several forms you will have to fill out and sign.

Clerk bw 2. File the forms. Turn in your completed forms to the Clerk of Court online, in person, or by mail.

Online bw 3. Turn in the order to the Judge. You must turn in the proposed Order to the judge to review and sign.

Checklist complete 4. Get certified copies and contact Vital Statistics. You will need a certified copy of the final order to send to Vital Statistics.

Learn more about each step below.

1. Fill out the forms

There are several forms that you need to fill out to ask the judge to correct the birth certificate. You will also need to provide a copy of the birth certificate with the forms.

If the birth certificate that needs correcting belongs to a child who is 17 or younger, the parents must complete all of the forms in the following packet:

Child Birth Certificate Correction (pdf fillable)

If the birth certificate that needs correcting belongs to someone 18 or older, the child named in the birth certificate must complete all of the forms in the following packet:

Adult Birth Certificate Correction (pdf fillable)

2. File the forms

The court charges $270 to file the papers. You can pay by cash, money order, or most major credit/debit cards. If you cannot afford the fee, please see Filing Fees and Waivers to find out how to ask the court to waive the fee.

You can file your papers one of these ways:

By Mail: (mail takes about a month to process) Mail your forms and the filing fee (with check or money order made out to Clerk of Court) to:

Family Courts and Services Center
Attn: Clerk of Court
601 North Pecos Road
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Online: You can file online through the court's e-filing system, eFileNV. There is a fee of $3.50 to upload your documents, in addition to the regular filing fee. You must register for an account, you must provide a valid email address, and you must be able to scan and upload your documents as separate pdfs. Do not upload one pdf with all of the forms included - this will significantly delay the processing. Each form needs to be filed as its own pdf, but you can upload all of them in one submission. Carefully follow the E-Filing Guide to avoid mistakes.
E-Filing Guide
In person at the Family Courthouse (check our How to File page for hours and more information).

3. Submit the Order to the judge

You must turn in a final birth certificate correction order to your assigned department to review. This form is included in the packets of forms above. If you do not know what department your case was assigned to, you can look it up here: https://www.clarkcountycourts.us/Portal/.

Email your proposed order in a pdf format to your assigned judge. Check the Department Letter assigned to your case and email it to the correct email below:

If you cannot email it, you can bring it to the court in person or you can mail it to 601 N. Pecos, Las Vegas, NV 89101 (mail takes 4-6 weeks to process).

The judge will review the order and sign it if approved. You will receive the order back by mail or through email if you registered for eservice in your efiling account.

The judge may want you to appear at a hearing before making a decision. If so, the order will be returned to you with a memo from the judge's staff asking you to set a "prove up" or an "uncontested" hearing. This is a short hearing where the judge can ask you some questions before deciding whether to approve the correction. To set a hearing, fill out a "Setting Slip" and bring it to the courthouse. A clerk will be able to set a court date for you when you file the form.

Uncontested Setting Slip (pdf fillable)

Bring the order with you to the hearing so the judge can sign it in court if granted.

4. Get certified copies and contact Vital Statistics.

Your birth certificate will not change until you provide Vital Records with a certified copy of the final order.

You can order certified copies for a small fee from the Clerk of Court's Records Department. You can order online, or visit in person for immediate assistance at the Family Court, 601N Pecos Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89101 during regular business hours M-F 8am-4pm.

Once you have your certified copies, contact Vital Statistics in the state where the birth took place to get the birth certificate changed. If the birth certificate was issued in Nevada, contact the Nevada Office of Vital Statistics to find out the process and any other forms you may need to get the birth certificate changed.

Birth Certificate Corrections