# Is a typo on a birth certificate a big deal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 19, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308 "2016-08-19T16:03:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/21 "2016-08-23T23:54:52Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Yes, it’s common. Unless someone has a passport or is a legal immigrant, they pretty much have to show their birth certificate to get a job unless their employer breaks the law. Missed the edit window: I forgot a Social Security card is also on that list, so most people probably use that. But you’re allowed to use a birth certificate too. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/22 "2016-08-24T00:18:17Z")
When my daughter was born, Alameda County sent us a Certificate of Death with all the information from her birth on it, and the date/location of death info blank. I called the county office and asked if I could get an actual birth certificate, and they said “Oh, no, that’s okay; this happens from time to time when somebody grabs a form from the wrong stack. Just draw a line through where it says “Death” at the top, write in “Live Birth,” and have it notarized, and you’ll be good to go.” My response amounted to “Not only no, but _hell_ no.” We got it fixed. ---
**Author:** ![Debillw3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Debillw3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debillw3)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/23 "2016-08-24T00:19:28Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Missed the edit window: I forgot a Social Security card is also on that list, so most people probably use that. But you’re allowed to use a birth certificate too. I was always, without exception, asked to supply my state issued ID and my Social Security card. There was no “…or your birth certificate or passport”, just a matter of fact “make sure you bring your state issued photo ID and Social Security card”. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/24 "2016-08-24T00:45:40Z")
> [@Debillw3](#): > > Well, then, as a lawyer, I assume you can tell us what these problems are? I’ve come across delays in processing divorces, probating estates and accessing funds, caused by spelling errors, name mismatches, aliases (married names), and botched information on certificates of live birth. In some instances it has required fixing the document, and in other instances it has taken more finagling to get the document accepted than it would have taken to fix the document. When it has not been possible to reconcile documents (settling multi-generational nested estates), I have had to take matters to a judge to wave his holy vorpal sword to get the problem document accepted. Unfortunately, sometimes common sense is no match for precise procedure being carried out by a pedant, so it is good practice to fix errors when they come to light, rather than hope that they never become a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/25 "2016-08-24T01:02:00Z")
What **Muffin** said. The OP has said that her daughter’s birthday is right, but mom’s birthday is wrong. But if an official notices that the dates don’t match up, how does the official know that? Maybe the mom’s birthdate is right but the daughter’s birthdate has been tampered with, and the person claiming to be the daughter is not really the daughter. How does the official know which is right? Sure, the daughter might say, “yes, there’s an error there but mine is right”, and maybe the official will accept it. But, once the official notices the discrepancy, there’s no guarantee that the official will accept that explanation. They could just bounce the birth certificate and say that due to the discrepancy they won’t accept it: “Got anything else to prove birth and citizenship?” Sure, that may seem silly when you know who you are and when you and mom were born, but from the official’s perspective, you’re presenting a hinky birth certificate. Is it hinky because of a simple typo, or because it’s been tampered with? And what if you’re relying on it for a time-sensitive matter, like getting a passport? If the passport application gets bounced, will you be able to get the birth certificate fixed in time to get the passport and catch your long-planned European vacation? Especially if you’ve moved from the county where you were born and have to try to get it fixed long-distance? Get it fixed now, **Nars** , when there’s no urgency. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/26 "2016-08-24T01:58:48Z")
> [@Debillw3](#): > > I was always, without exception, asked to supply my state issued ID and my Social Security card. There was no “…or your birth certificate or passport”, just a matter of fact “make sure you bring your state issued photo ID and Social Security card”. That happens all the time, but it’s illegal [document abuse](https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/employee-rights-resources/preventing-discrimination) to require employees to present certain specific documents for I-9 purposes when starting a new job. Employees are allowed to present any allowable combination of documents. Heck, even the HR manager at the first immigration law firm where I worked did it when I started there. I knew what the requirements actually were, though, and brought the document that was easiest for me (a valid US passport). Eva Luna, Immigration Paralegal P.S. Fix the document now - the longer you wait, the bigger a PITA it will be. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/27 "2016-08-24T02:04:57Z")
> [@Debillw3](#): > > I was always, without exception, asked to supply my state issued ID and my Social Security card. There was no “…or your birth certificate or passport”, just a matter of fact “make sure you bring your state issued photo ID and Social Security card”. Yes, that’s common, because that’s what employers see 95% of the time. But legally, you get to choose, and you can’t be discriminated against for choosing to show something else. ---
**Author:** ![Debillw3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@Debillw3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debillw3)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308/28 "2016-08-24T05:56:11Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > But if an official notices that the dates don’t match up, how does the official know that? Because “officials” don’t take birth certificates at the word. They verify the information. There’s a reason that birth certificates are used only alongside other documents. A birth certificate itself isn’t valid for establishing identity. It’s insanely easy to fake a birth certificate if you know what to fake. It’s like a Social Security card or a driver’s license or a passport–it’s not the document that matters, they just use the information on it to verify it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-typo-on-a-birth-certificate-a-big-deal/763308.md?page=1)