Can you Change your Birthday | Everything You Don’t Know Before

The short answer is no, you cannot change your birthday. Your birth certificate contains the date you were born, which serves as identification documentation. Your birth date being changed on official documents might be seen as fraud. Only if the birth date was entered erroneously will there be an exception. It would then be acceptable to fix the error by providing the necessary evidence.

After you are conceived, your identification and social security number are assigned to you. On the other side, you are not told your birthdate. It is a reality, just like where you were born and who gave birth to you.

These facts and the names and numbers assigned to you serve as evidence of our identification in the United States. Governmental organizations often use this factual information to distinguish between individuals with similar names, addresses in nearby cities, and even physical appearances.

The date on the identity documents and with successive government entities needs to be corrected, which is the most probable rationale for success in a birthday change request. By doing this, the documentation will be updated to reflect the facts.

Yet in some cases, it is possible to change your birthday, but you have to follow some guidelines. Let’s learn how to legally change your birthday

How to Legally Change your Birthday

The procedures listed below will let you legally alter your birthday:

Compile all essential paperwork.

You must provide certain documentation when applying to alter your birthdate officially. The following is included in this:

• An affidavit the petitioner swears to under oath before the state’s high court.
• A passport picture of the applicant;
• A copy of a legitimate form of identification, in the event of a proxy, such as a nationwide passport or national identification code. The proxy’s passport picture should be provided if a proxy is involved.

You may speak to the hospital as well. Hospital records are the most often recognized form of documentation for proving the date of birth, but not all states accept them. Before taking further action, if a birth certificate’s date of birth is inaccurate, check if you can get a copy of the hospital’s documentation.

The institution should also have original copies of the birth certificate request and documentation of the birth as a medical event. Medical documents of the birth are the most reliable evidence of the date of birth if the date on the application is inaccurate.

Complete the paperwork for changing your birthday

Fill out any paperwork and documents that are required. To submit a modification to a birth record, you may fill out prefabricated forms in various states. There are few other states, however.

If your state does not have a procedure for changing a birth certificate’s birthday, you will need to contact the vital records department and inquire about the procedure. Any documents you provide generally have to be certified copies.

Submit the paperwork to the relevant government office

Locate the state’s vital records office and submit the documentation there. Even if a judge grants you permission to change your birthdate, you will still need to submit the necessary paperwork to the office in charge of vital records in your state. They often keep track of births and deaths. Vital records are under most states’ purview of the state health department.

Wait for the approval of your application

The vital records department in your state will verify the papers after they are submitted. If this works out, the request will be accepted.

Obtain a new birth certificate

You will get a new birth certificate after your application has been approved. This will come with a new birthdate.

Update all your documents with the new birthdate

The next step is to change the birthdate on all of your papers. This is necessary for them to use your new name.

Following a name change, it is necessary to amend the following documents:

• Driving license; passports; and medical records
• Insurance; replacement of birth certificates
• Bank cards and checks
• Estate planning papers.

Notify relevant organizations of your new birthdate

After updating your birthdate, the next step is to inform the appropriate institutions. You will need to contact the following organizations to inform them of your legal name change:

Postal service Department of Records or Vital Statistics; 

• Social Security Administration;
• Internal Revenue Service; 
• Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV);
• Banks and Other Financial Institutions; 
• Insurance Agencies.

Celebrate your new birthday!

This is the final step. Additionally, it would help if you celebrated your new birth. You may celebrate your new birthday after you have corrected the information on your birth certificate with your actual birthdate.

Reasons why People Might want to Change their Birthday

Some justifications for wanting to alter one’s birthdate include the following:

Documentation mistakes

The most convincing explanation, in general, is that a mistake was made while the records were being created to authenticate a person’s birth’s true information.

Because the details of the birth may readily be verified with the birthing hospital, many organizations don’t need testimony or a court order to alter a birth certificate.

International adoption 

Another circumstance that often results in a modification to a birth date’s data is an adoption that takes place abroad. In this case, it is evident that the information provided during the adoption does not correspond to the child’s age.

This may occur in various situations, including young toddlers and kids unsure of their birth year. This is in addition to kids who, due to a physical, mental, or emotional handicap, are unable to express the year of their birth. This is much truer if the birth date was fabricated to persuade the parents to adopt the kid.

Generally speaking, it is in the child’s best interests to obtain a birth date that is the nearest to the age that a physician or dentist can determine for them. This is legitimate so that the youngster will be able to go to school, graduate, find employment, and drive when it is time for him to do so.

Program for witness protection

The fact that the person is enrolled in a government-run witness protection program is another strong defense. In this instance, the government would submit and help with the paperwork required to receive the witness’s updated or altered information.

Depending on the circumstances, the witness could temporarily use alternate identification documents or have all of their documents updated.

What happens if you change your birthday?

Your birth certificate contains the date you were born, which serves as identification documentation. Your birth date being changed on official documents might be seen as fraud. Only if the birth date was entered erroneously will there be an exception. Additionally, the birth date in the birth registry cannot be modified.

Alternatives to Changing your Birthday

Filing a declaratory action to establish your true date of birth is a significant alternative to altering your birthdate. You may now accomplish your goal by keeping a copy of the court order with your certificates.

Potential Consequences of Changing your Birthday

There is nothing wrong with celebrating your birthday on a different day of the year than the one you were born on. However, if you intentionally enter the incorrect date on documentation, you will run into trouble.

You can find yourself on the losing side of a lawsuit involving perjury, fraud, theft, or civil defamation. This may or may not be the case based on how much your birthday deception helped you. There may be penalties or even prison time as a consequence.

How to Prevent Identity Theft when Changing your Birthday

Anyone may experience identity theft when their birthdate is changed. But if you take a few easy precautions to safeguard your personal data, you can lower your chance of being a victim. This comprises:

• Make sure your personal data is protected.
• Keep an eye on your bank, credit, and credit report activity.
• Before disclosing information, get clarification.
• Before throwing away any unneeded papers holding your personal information, shred them.

Common mistakes when changing your birthday

Some Common mistakes when changing your birthday include:

• Incorrect filing procedure 
• Incorrect document submissions
• Inappropriate payment methods

Best practices for changing your birthday

Some Best practices for changing your birthday include \sA—match data in the form with official papers.

• Get your financial records acknowledged.
• Ensure that family data are correct.
• Pay all bills at the correct address.
• Make the proper application fee payment.

Summary

It’s difficult to change a birth certificate’s birthdate. It is assumed that the original birth certificate is accurate after filing it. You must therefore show that the data needs to be more accurate. But if you gather sufficient proof of your birthdate, you can finish the process.

There are several circumstances in which someone might want to change their birthday. While incorrect recording may be the first that comes to mind, there are other possibilities, as highlighted above.

Rather than attempting to deal with the decision all at once, embrace the idea of approaching it like a process that must be completed slowly.

Expert Advice

Irrespective of your justifications, for a birthday modification to be acceptable, it must be supported by the appropriate method described above.

States also have their standards for updating birth certificates. Certain states will amend your birth certificate upon submission of an affidavit, including proof of the correct birthdate. Some call for a judicial order. Contact the relevant authorities to learn more about the laws in your state.

Additionally, if the birthdate shown on your birth certificate is inaccurate, you may be able to update it legally. You must have proof that the date on your birth certificate is correct to amend your age or birthdate. Using a different age or birthdate may be fine.

It might be problematic and illegal to claim a different age for legal reasons or while dealing with the government. Consult a local criminal defense lawyer for guidance if you were accused of a felony for giving false information about your age.