Birth Records and Parentage

Birth records include the names of legal parents. The marital status of the parent who gives birth and other factors affect who is listed as legal parents on the birth record.

When a Minnesota birth record is established and no court order directs the birth to be registered differently, one or both parents will be named on a birth record depending on their marital status. If the person who gave birth is:

• married, they and their spouse will be named on the birth record.
• divorced or widowed, but was married within 280 days before birth, they and their former spouse will be named on the birth record.
• married and the biological father is not the spouse; they and their spouse will be named on the birth record unless the spouse and the biological father file parentage documents or the spouse takes action to end their legal relationship with the child. 
• single for at least 280 days before the birth, they will be the only parent named on the birth record unless: 
  • they and the biological father voluntarily acknowledge parentage after the birth and before the child’s birth record is established
    OR
  • they present a court order directing the birth to be registered differently
    OR
  • the second parent consented to assisted reproduction under Minnesota Statutes, Section 257E.23 at the time of birth.  

For some adoptions, surrogacies, and other situations, a court order may be established before a child’s birth and presented at the time of birth. In these situations, the birth record is established as directed by the court.

Changing an established birth record

Parents named on the birth record can be changed after the birth record is established. A parent may be added or removed and the original birth record replaced when:

• A voluntary parentage acknowledgement is filed with the Office of Vital Records (OVR)
• A revocation of a voluntary parentage acknowledgement is filed with OVR
• A court order that vacates a voluntary parentage acknowledgement or adjudicates a parent is submitted to OVR (must be submitted with a fee)
• A certificate of adoption or court order for adoption is submitted to OVR (must be submitted with a fee)

When a birth record is replaced, we seal the original record and all documentation pertaining to it, making it confidential. We release this information only to the individuals who are eligible in accordance with Minnesota law. 

Establishing parentage with a voluntary acknowledgement

Minnesota allows an unmarried person who gave birth and the child’s biological father to sign a Minnesota Voluntary Recognition of Parentage (PDF) (ROP) form. When the ROP form is filed with OVR, we will add the father to the birth record, legally establishing the father’s paternity. Same-sex couples cannot use an ROP form to establish parentage. 

Minnesota allows a spouse of a person who gave birth to complete a Spouse's Non-Parentage Statement (PDF) (SNPS) within a year of the birth when the spouse is not the biological father. When a corresponding ROP form is filed by the person who gave birth and the biological father, we will file both forms and replace the birth record. Both the ROP and the SNPS must be filed with us before we add or remove a parent named on the birth record. 

To revoke a completed ROP or SNPS, a parent or spouse on the record must sign a ROP revocation form or a SNPS revocation form and file it with us within 60 days of last date the ROP or SNPS is signed.

All parentage documents must be signed in front of a notary public.  

For more information about voluntary parentage acknowledgements, please see Establishing parentage on the the Department of Child, Youth and Families’ website. For information on getting a court order, please see the Minnesota Judicial Branch website. 

Order certified copies of filed parentage documents

Use the Certified Parentage Document Request (PDF) to order certified copies of parentage documents that are filed with us, including ROPs and SNPSs and the older version of these forms, and revocations of parentage documents.

To obtain a certified copy of a court order, contact the court that issued it.

Instructions for courts and child support

Complete the Certificate of Adjudication (PDF) form to add a father to the birth record. The child’s name and date of birth on the form must match the birth record exactly. If the information doesn’t match, MDH will return the form to the court or child support office. 

MDH charges a $40 fee to register a replacement birth record and won’t process the request without payment. Send only the Certificate of Adjudication form and fee. (Do not send the adjudication order.)