Bronx, NY asked in Family Law and Civil Litigation for New York

Q: How does someone born in Puerto Rico but now lives in the states, correct a name change on their birth certificate?

My father was unofficially adopted by my grandparents in Puerto Rico in the 1950s, and when he was born they did not change his original last name to what should of been my adoptive grandfathers last name.

For all the time he has been in the United States (specifically NY for over 40 years) he has been going by the name that should of been corrected by my grandparents when he was born. Therefore, all his documents in the states have one name, but his original birth certificate has another. In order to receive his pension in 4 years, he needs to be able to prove that he is in fact the same person. Therefore, what does he need to do to have his original birth certificate name match all of his other documents?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Lawrence Allen Weinreich
Lawrence Allen Weinreich
Answered
  • Garden City, NY
  • Licensed in New York

A: Based upon what you have said, to begin with the case would have to be done in PR as that is where he was born, however, since the "adoption" was unofficial it is unlikely that it can be done. What is probably a better option, is to bring an action for a name change back to the time he started using the new name.

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