It's a fact that ALL states allow falsification of birth certificates - they are all guilty of changing the true birth information, issuing an amended birth certificate, and sealing the original... usually 'forever'. However, some states go even a step further, according to reunited triadians:
| ARIZONA | (see note) | Amended birth certificate looks like the original; no indication of an adoption occurring. AZ adoptees may not be aware that they are adopted. |
| CALIFORNIA | (numerious changes-see note) | Numerious alterations regarding one of our cases. First/middle name change of child. Subtle birth time change. Birth mother's full name and radical age change. Birth place for mother remains the same. Birth father's full name change, radical age change & birth place change. Note: The child in the certificates we have "was not" adopted, and this falsified birth certificate "slipped through the cracks", and was recorded as a legal California birth certificate. |
| FLORIDA | (date and/or city of birth) | Changing city of birth to reflect the location of intermediary/aparents is STILL a practice that's going on. I understand that they stopped tampering with birthdates in *either* 1972 or 1974. I'm unable to confirm this. |
| GEORGIA | (date and/or birthplace, plus non-id info) | Like FL, legally allows changing city of birth to reflect location (county) of aparents, as well as outright lies in non-id info... including false medical information. In addition, the state will apparently allow changing of birthdate at the aparent's [formal] request, by more than a YEAR. GA is a particularly nasty state in regards to adoption policies and procedures. |
| ILLINOIS | (date of birth) | The adoptee who wrote had her date of birth changed to the tune of ~12+ months!! |
| INDIANA | (month/day of birth) | During the 1950's, the court allowed adoptive parents to change month and day of birth. Also, amended birth certificate looks like the original; no indication of an adoption occurring. IN adoptees may not be aware that they are adopted. |
| MARYLAND | (city of birth) | The reunited adoptee was born in Washington, D.C., but her amended b/c states that she was born in Maryland... home of her aparents. |
| MASSACHUSETTS | (date of birth) | (no other info) |
| MICHIGAN | (date of birth) | (no other info) |
| MINNESOTA | (falsification of non-id info) | (no other info) |
| NEW YORK | dob | dob appears to have been changed for one adoptee Janet's been in contact with |
| NORTH CAROLINA | (county of birth) | It is customary to change the COUNTY to that of the aparents not city of birth. NC does not give the city. Also the names of birthparents are changed to that of the aparents just as if they gave birth. There is no mention on the BC that this child was adopted or the BC is amended. Additional information- North Carolina admits to changing the place of birth of the adoptee to the residence of the adoptive parents in amended birth certificates. From the Rayleigh News and Observer - 25 April 2007 |
| OHIO | (certificate numbers change | The state of OHIO issues new numbers to adoptees after finalization of the adoption. The only numbers that will remain the same are 134 for the state code and the actual year of birth. Does not store Original BCs (that have been affected by an adoption) at a COUNTY level......Original BCs are kept at a state level and locked in a vault, not to be opened without a signed Judge's Order, which must be requested by filing a Petition through the court. Fees to file the petition vary from county -to- county. Cuyahoga county and Franklin county rarely ever honor a petition. The use of state records to "research" an adoption is now limited to 3 hours per appointment, and appoinments are allowed to be made one month in advance, one research token per month. IMPORTANT! OH Birth Index is INCOMPLETE for the following years: 1969, 1971,1972,1973, 1974, and 1975. There are several years that are missing data. |
| RHODE ISLAND | (state of birth) | The reunited adoptee who wrote was born in MA, but her amended b/c states that she was born in RI... home of her aparents. |
| TEXAS | (city of birth and date of birth) | Allows changing city, and date of birth (but not the year). |
| UTAH | (no details) | (no details) |
| WASHINGTON, DC | (city of birth) | (no other info) |
SEARCHERS BEWARE!! The likelihood that your birth certificate was falsified is actually *quite* small.... but it IS a possibility. Widen your search parameters: look for near-dates, and cities other than the one listed on your amended birth certificate, just in case you've been a victim of gross b/c falsification. It happens.
| *State Birth Certificate Codes | |||
| AK - 150 | AL - 101 | MI - 121 | MN - 122 |
| AR - 103 | AZ - 102 | MO - 124 | MS - 123 |
| CA - 104 | CO - 105 | MT - 125 | NC - 132 |
| CT - 106 | DC - 108 | ND - 133 | NE - 126 |
| DE - 107 | FL - 109 | NH - 128? | NJ - 129 |
| GA - 110 | HI - 151 | NM - 130 | NV - 127 |
| IA - 114 | ID - 111 | NY - 139,131? or 156 | |
| IL - 112 | IN - 113 | OH - 134 | OK - 135 |
| KS - 115 | KY - 116 | OR - 136 | SD - 140 |
| LA - 117 or 157 | MA - 120? | PA - 137? | RI - 138 |
| MD - 119 or 154 | ME - 118 | SC - 139 | TN - 141 |
| TX - 142 | UT - 144 | VA - 145 | VT - 143? |
| WA - 146 | WI - 148 | WV - 147 | WY - 149 |
|
It appears as though not all states adhere to the federal system, namely NH
and PA. The numbers with a question mark are states that cannot be verified.
It appears as though MD and NY issue a completely new number to
adoptees. The fourth and fifth digits signify the year on all. For example
if you were born in FL, your number should appear as 109-65-OOOOO. The 109
stands for FL and the 65 stands for the year. The remaining numbers are the
file number.
| *Note: If you have any additional information regarding false birth certificates in any state or country, let the community know by adding to this list. Please email us the information for review if you're sure it's valid. Email Us | ||