Anyone ever had to correct info on a birth certificate?

[featherB 1]

Okay, this isn't so much a question as a ramble/vent, but I don't know whether or not this is going to cause me a problem...

Last week I ordered copies of my long-form birth certificate, and the information in the record books at the Family Record Centre seemed a bit strange. My surname was spelled wrong, for a start - turns out that was just a typo in the book, though, and it was spelled correctly on the actual birth certificate. Secondly, in the column (in the books where you look and find yourself when ordering your birth cert.), my mother's maiden name was shown as my father's surname. And spelled wrong, at that. Odd.

So, today I went to collect the copies, and yup, it looks like my parents/the registrar managed to make one error and one omission when registering my birth.

The error doesn't matter that much, if at all - it's showing my mother's surname as being the same as my father's. Which of course it would have been, had they been married at the time, but they weren't (until a couple of years later), and she assures me she only ever went by her own (maiden) name until they married, so that is a mistake. Not that the US Embassy is ever going to know that, so...

The omission: in the space where 'mother's maiden name' should go, they've not put anything, just some dashes. This is the bit I'm worrying about.

I'm going to try and see if it can be corrected (a bit of Googling looks like birth certificates can be corrected after the event 'in certain circumstances', but I don't know how you go about proving the real details or getting the correction made - I'm going to investigate tomorrow), but if it can't, or if it's going to take even longer than it is for our petition to be approved and for my interview date to come up, I'll just have to take what I've got and take my chances. It *is*, after all, an accurate certified copy of my birth certificate... it's just that the information on that certificate is slightly lacking!

I know nobody will be able to tell me how likely it is that a consular official will reject my birth certificate on the grounds of my mother apparently having no maiden name, but in the unlikely event that anyone's ever had to 'fix' a birth certificate years after the event, I'd love to hear about how easy (or otherwise) it was to get it done!

Sorry about the big ramble... I'm just hoping this isn't going to cause a headache further down the line, and thought I'd vent about it here!

[Kez/JWolf 6]

My mothers maiden name is not listed on my birth certificate it just says ----- I have never thought about it before but I have had no problems with immigration or when I applied for a passport or for my wedding licence...

[pj1959us 0]

My mother's maiden name does appear on my birth certificate but it is spelled wrong. I have never bothered checking into getting it corrected, but just wanted to let you know I had no problems with getting a passport or any of the immigration process either. As long as it is the certified copy of the long form of the birth, you shouldn't have any problems.

Best of luck to you!

[featherB 1]

Really? That's cheered me up massively, because that's exactly what it says on mine - thanks! I asked the woman behind the counter in the Family Records Centre, and she took it to show her manager - they both stood there staring at it with furrowed brows for ages, and generally gave me the impression they'd never seen such a thing before - maybe it's actually quite a regular occurrence, though, and nobody at the Embassy (or anywhere else) will even bat an eyelid.

Thanks for replying - reassuring to know mine isn't the only one like that!

My mothers maiden name is not listed on my birth certificate it just says ----- I have never thought about it before but I have had no problems with immigration or when I applied for a passport or for my wedding licence...

Thank you!! Okay, after those two responses I'm a bit less worried now... sounds like not-quite-correct birth certificates might not be that unusual after all, and if they haven't caused other people problems, I should hopefully be okay!

Now to find something else to fret about...

My mother's maiden name does appear on my birth certificate but it is spelled wrong. I have never bothered checking into getting it corrected, but just wanted to let you know I had no problems with getting a passport or any of the immigration process either. As long as it is the certified copy of the long form of the birth, you shouldn't have any problems.

Best of luck to you!

[Kez/JWolf 6]

Ok I just called my mum in scotland to ask about it as I had never noticed it before.... she says that it was my dad who went to register my birth and when asked for my mums maiden name he did not remember.... she asked about it when I was going to start school and was told the certificate will be made out with the information that is available at the time... as my mothers maiden name was not available it is not listed.... she could have had a ammendment added to the main register but it would not have changed what appears on the certificate....

but as I say I have never had any problems with my certificate in the 44 years since it was written...

[featherB 1]

Thanks so much for phoning to ask about it!

Sounds like I probably have nothing to worry about, then, and that it's not unheard-of to leave the 'maiden name' bit blank. I think I've been getting so into the 'nothing must be left blank, never put n/a, etc etc' USCIS-form-filling mindset, that seeing a line of dashes in place of something so basic as my mother's maiden name made me panic!

Thank you again - that's definitely reassured me. I might phone up the Registrar's office (or whatever it's called) for where I was born/registered and see what they say about getting an amendment to it. If it turns out to be relatively easy (*and* of course if I'd be able to get an amended birth certificate once it's done), I might try and get them to 'fix' it, just for my own peace of mind... but reading what you've said there has made me think I almost certainly don't need to worry!

Ok I just called my mum in scotland to ask about it as I had never noticed it before.... she says that it was my dad who went to register my birth and when asked for my mums maiden name he did not remember.... she asked about it when I was going to start school and was told the certificate will be made out with the information that is available at the time... as my mothers maiden name was not available it is not listed.... she could have had a ammendment added to the main register but it would not have changed what appears on the certificate....

but as I say I have never had any problems with my certificate in the 44 years since it was written...