Birth Records and Paternity

On this page:
Get a certified copy
Add a father with an ROP
Add a father with a court order

Get a certified copy of a filed Recognition of Parentage or other parentage forms

• Complete an Application for a Certified Copy of a Recognition of Parentage, Spouse’s Non-parentage Statement, or Revocation Form (PDF).
• Sign and date the application in front of a notary public.
• The fee is $9. Fees are non-refundable.
• Payment is by credit card (MasterCard, VISA, or Discover), check or money order. We deposit fees upon receipt.
  • The Office of Vital Records returns applications that are incomplete, not signed in front of a notary public, or not paid in full at the time of application.
• The Office of Vital Records does not have walk-in service. Send the application and fee by:
  • Fax your application to 866-416-1357. Do not fax it more than once; we process each application as a separate request. Shade over a raised notary seal with a pencil.
  • Mail your application to the address shown on the application.

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Add a father to a birth record with a Recognition of Parentage (ROP) form

The Minnesota Voluntary Recognition of Parentage (PDF) form allows a biological father to establish paternity when he is not married to the mother. There is no fee to file an ROP with the Office of Vital Records. Same-sex couples cannot use an ROP to establish parentage.

The ROP:

• may be completed at the hospital at the time of the child's birth, or be filled out later
• must show the child’s name and the mother's name as they appear on the birth record
• must be signed and dated by both parents in front of a notary public
• must be free of corrections and cross outs to avoid rejection
• must be filed with the Office of Vital Records to be considered valid

If the mother is married to someone who is not the biological father when the child is born, her spouse may complete a Spouse’s Non-parentage Statement (SNPS) within the year after the child’s birth. The Office of Vital Records 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.

Parentage forms are available from county child support offices or the Minnesota Department of Human Services - Forms webpage. For more information about the ROP Program, call the Department of Human Services at 651-296-2542 or 800-657-3954 or visit a child support office.

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Add a legal parent to a birth record with a court order

A legal parent, including a biological father, can be added to a birth record with a court order. The Office of Vital Records charges a $40 fee to add a legal parent's name to a birth record with a court order. Fees are non-refundable.

The court order must:

• show the child’s name and date of birth as it appears on the birth record
• state the name of the person who is the legal parent of the child, and
• state that the legal parent's name is to be added to the child's birth record.

Mail a certified copy of the paternity court order with the $40 fee to the mailing address shown on the right side of this page.

Instructions for court administrators and child support

For more information on getting a court order to establish parentage, please see the Minnesota Department of Human Services - Establishing parentage webpage.

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