Information for Child Support Workers
- Child Support Home
- Certified Copies of Paternity Documents
- MR&C for Child Support
- OVR Forms for Child Support
- Links for Child Support Workers
Office of Vital Records
Minnesota Child Support Workers
The Office of Vital Records (OVR), the Department of Human Services Child Support Division, and county and tribal child support work together to assure that birth records are accurate and complete and data is available for child support purposes, including establishing parentage.
The Office of Vital Records:
- Oversees a statewide system to collect data about vital events, maintains birth and death records, and issues certificates
- Shares data with the Minnesota Department of Human Services and tribal child support agencies so child support workers have information to establish paternity and enforce orders
- Allows child support workers to access the statewide system, Minnesota Registration and Certification (MR&C), to search for and view summary information from birth records
- Assures that legal parents are listed on their children’s birth records
- Issues birth certificates so that child support workers have the legal documents they need
- Responds to requests from child support agencies outside of Minnesota for children born in Minnesota
- Reviews court-ordered adjudications and adds legal parents to birth records
- Receives, reviews, and files voluntary paternity acknowledgement forms and other related documents. In Minnesota, these documents include:
- Minnesota Voluntary Recognition of Parentage (ROP)
- Spouse's Non-parentage Statement (SNPS)
- ROP and SNPS revocations
- Issues certified copies of the above-named documents, and the previously used Declaration of Parentage and Husband's Non-paternity Statement
Child support employees from government agencies outside of Minnesota may request and receive documents from public vital records. To request a certified copy of a birth certificate complete a Birth Certificate Application (PDF). For a noncertified copy, complete a Noncertified Birth Record Application (PDF). The Office of Vital Records will fulfill your request or contact you if we cannot release the record.
The release of a confidential birth record is restricted under Minnesota law. When a birth record is confidential, data is restricted to people and agencies eligible under law. OVR cannot release a confidential birth record to a child support agency outside of Minnesota. However, a non-Minnesota child support employee may:
- Ask a parent to request the birth certificate or copies of paternity forms that OVR has on file.
- Ask the subject of the record (the child), who is 16 years old or older, to request the record.
- Present a certified copy of a U.S. court order that orders the release of the record to you.
- Contact the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Child Support Division (CSD), for help. CSD may assist a child support agency outside of Minnesota to obtain data from a confidential birth record when it is necessary for child support purposes.
Adding the father to a birth record
With a Recognition of Parentage (ROP) form
When the biological father is not married to the mother, he may establish paternity via the Minnesota Voluntary Recognition of Parentage program. Both birth parents sign and date a Recognition of Parentage (ROP) form in front of a notary; to be valid, OVR must receive and process the ROP.
If the mother is married but her spouse is not the father, her spouse may complete a Spouse's Non-parentage Statement (SNPS) within a year after the child's birth. OVR must receive both the SNPS and the ROP forms to replace the spouse's name with the biological father's name on the child's birth record.
With a court order
A court order directs OVR to add a legal parent, including a biological father to a birth record. OVR must receive a certified copy of the court order along with the $40 fee to change the birth record. Most courts and county offices do not forward court order information to OVR. If OVR receives an order without the fee, OVR cannot change the birth record. Be sure that the parents you work with understand the services they receive and their role in updating their child's birth record.
The court order must show the child's name and date of birth as it appears on the current birth record. The court order must also state the name of the person who is the legal parent of the child and direct OVR to add the legal parent's name to the child's birth record.
Sometimes, an adjudication order changes the child's name. If the child's last name is to be changed, the court order must specifically instruct OVR to change the child's last name on the birth record.
If an ROP is already on file, the adjudication order must direct OVR to vacate the ROP. Otherwise, OVR cannot change the parents’ information on the birth record.