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Birth certificate copies are not available through the hospital.
Depending on when you or your child was born, you will need to contact either:
Born within one year at Miller Children’s & Women's:
City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services
(562) 570-4305
Born more than a year ago at Miller Children’s & Women's:
Los Angeles County Recorder’s Office
(562) 462-2137 or (562) 462-2103
The California Paternity Opportunity Program (POP) was established in 1995 to comply with federal mandate (Title 42 United States Code (USC) 666(a)(5)(C)) that requires every state to operate a simple system to establish paternity, or a legal determination for fatherhood for unmarried biological parents. For more than 24 years, California’s POP has helped over 3.4 million parents establish legal paternity.
When parents are unmarried, there are only two ways to establish legal paternity: through the court system, or by signing a Declaration of Paternity, (CS 909). POP provides an unmarried mother and a biological father the opportunity to voluntarily establish legal paternity for their child by signing a Declaration of Paternity (CS 909). Participation in POP free of charge, and voluntarily signing a CS 909 significantly decreases the time and money required to establish legal paternity through the court process. A signed CS 909 has the same force and effect as a judgement for paternity issued by a court. Although the POP program resides under the California Department of Child Support Services, POP is not involved with the judicial method of establishing paternity, genetic testing, custody, financial or child support aspects.
When parents are unmarried, the father must complete a CS 909 or provide proof of a court order establishing paternity before adding his name to a birth certificate. The Federal Welfare Reform Act requires that a Declaration of Paternity form be signed by both parents in the presence of a witness and/or notarized before the father can be added to the birth certificate. California Health and Safety Code 102425(a)(C) states, “If the parents are not married to each other, the father’s name shall not be listed on the birth certificate unless the father and the mother sign a voluntary declaration of paternity at the hospital before the birth certificate is submitted for registration. The birth certificate may be amended to add the father’s name at a later date only if paternity for the child has been established by a judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction or by the filing of a voluntary declaration of paternity.”
Birthing hospitals are mandated to offer parents the CS 909 in the hospital, upon the birth of their child. POP’s goal is to share information on our program prior to a child’s birth, so that parents are informed prior to completing required documents at the hospital. Our goal is to have parents understand their rights, responsibilities, alternatives, and consequences when signing the form, and to have the opportunity to ask questions and educate themselves prior to completing the CS 909.
Learn more about how POP can help you.
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