Oregon Vital Records will not automatically change your birth certificate if a court issues a court order of name change. Under Oregon law it is optional whether a birth certificate filed in Oregon is amended by the court order. To prove your name change without changing the birth record you will need to show both an original certified copy of the birth record and a certified copy of the court order.
If your name has been changed by court order, you may obtain a certified copy of the order directly from the court that approved it. Fees vary--please check directly with the court.
Oregon Vital Records will change the name of a child or a parent listed on a birth record if the proper documents and $50 fee are submitted. This fee includes $20 for a new certified record and $30 to update the record. If you received an original certified copy of the birth record issued within the last year, you may return it with the court order for a free replacement copy. In this case send only $30. (The issue date is printed or stamped on the record.)
Submit the above fee and following documents in person or
by mail.
- CERTIFIED COPY OF THE COURT ORDER showing the original seal and signature of the court clerk. (Our office will keep this document in a sealed file)
- If the court order changes the legal name of a person named on an Oregon birth certificate send a SIGNED STATEMENT (fillable PDF) from the person named on the record if that person is 18 or older, or the parent requesting that the birth record be changed.
-or-
If you are changing the name of your child based on a court order of name change for a parent, please fill out the SIGNED STATEMENT TO CHANGE CHILDS BIRTH RECORD (fillable PDF) instead of the form listed above.
If the birth record is for a child under the age of 18 then a parent named on the birth record, the legal guardian, or the parent who has sole legal custody of the child may sign the request to change the birth certificate.
-
VITAL RECORDS ORDER FORM (fillable PDF). The order form will provide the mailing address and information on how to pay the fee.
For information about how to file for a court ordered name change:
- In Oregon: Oregon Bar Association Name Change Information
Other States: Request information from the county or state circuit court in your locality.
How the birth record will be changed:To prevent fraud, changes to names on birth records are documented. The original birth certificate filed by the hospital will have the name lined out and the new name typed in above with a footnote referencing the court order and the date of the change for births prior to 2008. The short form birth certificate from computer data for births prior to 2008 will have a footnote stating which name had been amended and the date of the change but will not show the previous name. For births occuring in 2008 and after, the birth certificate will show the new name and the footnote referencing the court order will include the prior name. If you have a sealed name change order, or a court order specifying a new birth certificate, please call for additional information.
Some agencies may require you to submit a certified birth certificate documenting the details of the name change. To obtain this version of your birth record, please request a "long form" copy when you order your record. Some agencies may also require you to provide a certified copy of the court order of name change.
