Adoption & Acknowledgement of Paternity
To amend a New Mexico birth certificate after an adoption, the Vital Records Office must receive the following:
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A certified Certificate of Adoption form. This form must be certified by the clerk of the court and must include all information necessary to locate the original Certificate of Birth.
- Or, a certified copy of the “Final decree of Adoption” together with a certified Certificate of Adoption form. Both forms must be certified by the clerk of the district court that approved the adoption.
- If an adopted child was born in a state other than New Mexico, Certificate of Adoption forms will be forwarded to that state of birth. No further action will be taken by the state of New Mexico.
The fee for the amendment of the vital record is $10. The fee for a certified copy of the birth certificate is $10.
The Certificate of Adoption must be completed in black ink and will not be accepted with alterations, cross outs or white out.
Foreign Born Adoption
If a child was born in a foreign country and was not a citizen of the United States at the time of birth and adopted by legal residents of the state of New Mexico, the State Registrar must receive the following to establish a certificate of birth for that child.
- The certified Final Decree of Adoption of a Foreign Born Child must provide the probable country of child’s birth, the date of birth, and must order the New Mexico State Registrar to create a certificate of birth for the adopted child.
The fee for the registration of the Foreign Born Adoption is $10. The fee for a certified copy of the birth certificate is $10.
Acknowledgement of Paternity
If the mother was unmarried at the time of the child’s birth and no other name is listed on the Certificate of Birth as the father, the biological father’s name may be added to the birth certificate by filing an "Acknowledgement of Paternity" statement. The Acknowledgement of Paternity statement must be sworn to by the biological parents in the presence of a notary public.
New Mexico Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics has revised the Acknowledgment of Paternity statement (AOP) (spanish version). You may download and print the blank AOP form directly from your computer.
NOTES AND INSTRUCTIONS
Notes and instructions for completing the statement are provided on the Acknowledgment of Paternity form. Parents should be instructed and encouraged to review the Notes and Instructions and Rights and Responsibilities sections before completing statement
- The revised AOP form is in adobe format.
- The new father demographic fields are Education, Ethnicity and Race.
- Father’s race and ethnicity are self-identified.
- Each parent must sign the AOP form in the presence of a Notary Public.
- Notary Public(s) must notarize each parent’s signature individually.
- A completed and notarized AOP statement must be submitted to the State of New Mexico, Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics, along with the required fees, for processing. Prior to submitting the notarized AOP statement for processing:
- One (1) photocopy of the notarized AOP statement should be provided to each parent.
- One (1) photocopy of the filed AOP statement should be prepared for Child Support Enforcement Division.
- One (1) photocopy of the filed AOP statement may be prepared for medical records.
If you have any questions, please contact us at 1 (866) 534-0051.
The fee for the amendment of the Vital Record is $10. The fee for a certified copy of the birth certificate is $10.