Parentage

There are only two ways to add or change who is listed as a parent on a birth certificate: Acknowledgment of Parentage or Court Order.

1. Acknowledgment of Parentage
   The Acknowledgment of Parentage is an administrative process used to:

• Establish a parent-child relationship
• Add a second parent to the birth certificate

1. Court Order

• There are questions about who is a parent of the child
• The parties do not agree on who is a parent of the child
• The parties want to add or remove parent(s) on the child's birth certificate.

To order a Parentage Verification Letter, submit the Parentage Verification Order form (DOH 422-163) (PDF) to the Department of Health.

• La forma en Español: Formulario Para Ordenar la Verificación de Paternidad (DOH 422-163) (PDF)

Note: This information does not apply to adoption or surrogacy situations. Visit the Adoption page or Surrogacy page for information.

1. Submit the documents to the Department of Health

By Mail

Mailing Address

Center for Health Statistics
Department of Health
PO Box 47814
Olympia, WA 98504-7814

Questions

For more information, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
Contact us by email parentage@doh.wa.gov.

Ordering a certificate with a correction request

• Send completed certificate order form with your correction request. Include all required documents referenced on the certificate application instruction page.
• Certificate will be issued after the correction has been processed.

Exchanging a certificate with a correction request

If you currently have a certified copy of a certificate that was issued less than one year ago, send in the certified copy of the certificate with your correction request; we will exchange the certificate at no charge.