The father who is listed was or is the mother's husband, but is not the biological father of the child:

This is called a "Refusal." If the couple are still married to each other, the husband/ex-husband will need to complete a "Waiver of Paternity Affidavit" which will need to be notarized, and then the biological father and mother will need to complete an Acknowledgment of Paternity and submit the waiver along with paternity together. The paternity form cannot be accepted without the waiver.

If the couple are no longer married, they need to provide a certified copy of their divorce decree. The child's name must appear on the decree and state that he/she is not a product of the marriage.

A new husband wants to adopt the child:

In this case, the registrant's mother has remarried. Her new husband, the registrant's step-father, is not named on the registrant's birth certificate and would not be entitled to obtain a certified copy. If he wishes to adopt the registrant, both parents will have to petition the court and go through the adoption process. This would be handled by the Superior Court in any Arizona county.

The wrong name was recorded onto the birth certificate by the hospital in error,

OR

The father's name was misspelled or another simple typographical error may have been recorded by the hospital:

You will need to contact the birth registrar at the hospital where the registrant was born. They will compare what they have on the worksheet you signed with what they filed with the Office of Vital Records. If they made a mistake, they will file a correction letter with the Office of Vital Records who will correct the birth certificate. Once the correction is made, you can have the incorrect copies replaced at no additional charge.

If the mistake is not the hospital's, you will need to request the correction yourself either by mail or in person. You will need to provide a certified copy of the father's birth certificate and valid government issued picture ID. There is a fee for this service and it includes one certified copy of the corrected birth certificate.

Walk-in customers are served in the order they arrive between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Customers who arrive after 4:00 p.m. can receive information only.

The father has obtained a legal name change and wants his new name listed on his child's birth certificate:

You will need to provide a certified copy of the father's birth certificate with his new name, a certified copy of the court order, and valid government issued picture ID. You may bring the court order to the Office of Vital Records in person or file your request by mail. There is a fee for this service and it includes one certified copy of the corrected birth certificate. If your submitting your request by mail please include and complete a request application and send a copy of your valid government issued ID or you can have your signature notarized on the request application. Acceptable forms of payment are traveler’s check, cashier’s check or money order made payable to the Office of Vital Records. Debit/Credit cards are also acceptable. If you do not include payment with your request, you will be required to pay the fee before any certified copies will be issued.    

Walk-in customers are served in the order they arrive between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Customers who arrive after 4:00 p.m. can receive information only.

The father was using an alias at the time the child was born and now wants his true name listed on the birth certificate:

You will need to go to court and satisfy a judge of your true identity and that you used an alias at the time your child was born. You will have to obtain a court order establishing your true identity and ordering the Office of Vital Records to amend your child's birth certificate accordingly.

You will need to provide a certified copy of the court order and valid government issued ID along with your request to have the record changed. You may bring the court order to the Office of Vital Records in person or file your request by mail. There is a fee for this service and it includes one certified copy of the corrected birth certificate.

Please Note: All court orders that were granted and final after Aug. 25, 2004 must contain verbiage stating – “It is ordered that the Office of Vital Records amend the birth certificate of the following change(s)”. §36-337.4

Walk-in customers are served in the order they arrive between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Customers who arrive after 4:00 p.m. can receive information only.