How to Add the Father's Name to a Birth Certificate in Illinois

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According to Illinois state law, you are allowed to make amendments to you or your child's birth certificate. To add the father's name to a minor's birth certificate, you must be the parent or legal guardian of the person named on the birth certificate. If the person named on the birth record is over 18 years old, they may also request a correction. Depending on when the mother and father were married, or if they were never married, the process to add the father's name will vary.

Parents Married Before a Child was Born (i.e., The Corrections Process)

Download and complete the Affidavit and Certificate of Correction Request found on the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) website.

Photocopy your valid photo ID, such as a state-issued driver's license.

Check the site for applicable fees and make your check or money order payable to Illinois Department of Public Health. There is a fee for additional copies of the amended record as well as a handling fee for those orders processed via credit card or online.

Mail the completed application, copies of your identification and appropriate fee to:

Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Vital Records, 925 East Ridgely Ave., Springfield, IL 62702-2737

Parents Married After Birth (i.e., The Legitimization Process)

Download and complete both the Affidavit by Biological Father and Affidavit by Biological Father forms from the IDPH Division of Vital Records website.

Obtain a certified copy of your marriage record. You can request a copy from the county clerk of the county you were married in.

Find the appropriate fee for your request, as noted on the site, and pay the amount via check or money order made payable to Illinois Department of Public Health. There is an additional fee for orders processed online and for extra copies of the amended record.

Send the two completed affidavits, the certified marriage record and the appropriate fees to Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Vital Records, 925 East Ridgely Ave., Springfield, IL 62702-2737.

Parents are not Married (i.e., The Paternity Acknowledgment)

Obtain the Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP) form. You can get the form at any of the following places: child support offices, department of human services offices, county clerk's offices or at the state or local registrar's offices.

Complete the VAP together. Both parents will need to fill out, sign and date the document in the presence of an adult witness.

Send the original and first copy of the completed form to:

Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, Administrative Coordination Unit (ACU) 110 West Lawrence St. Springfield, Illinois 62704

Once the VAP is received and processed, ACU will send the form to the Illinois Division of Vital Records so that the father's name can be added to the birth certificate.

Keep the last two copies for your own records. One copy is for the mother; the other for the father.