A certified birth certificate is an official document that contains a person’s personal information. As a legal document, it can be used as identification for getting a driver’s license, getting a marriage certificate or passport, and for other important situations. Since birth certificate information contains legal information, it should be kept securely at home or in a bank vault.

Whether you are getting ready to adopt a child or were adopted yourself, you may have questions about what happens to the original birth certificate of the adopted child. Initially, when the child is born, an original birth certificate is created, showing the birth mother and information about the child. The birth father may or may not be listed, depending on the circumstances.

When the child is adopted, the original birth certificate could be sealed away. In its place, a new birth certificate is created and made the officially registered one. The adoption birth certificate shows the same types of information as the original birth certificate, but it is updated to reflect the adoption as follows:

• The name of the birth parents is replaced with the name of the adoptive parents.
• The last name of the child is often changed to that of the adoptive parents.
• Sometimes the adoptive parents also change the child’s first name.

Other details on the birth certificate may be changed or remain the same.