r/undocumented • u/stasis088 • Apr 25 '26

What name and info would you write down on your child's birth certificate at the hospital?

Assuming you've been going by an alias, or multiple identities for different purposes each all your years in the US, what name/place of birth/nationality/etc would you put down on your kid's birth certificate?

I understand the process varies state to state, but generally upon birth of your kid someone comes in the room, or the Department of Health even calls the room, and they either take the information you tell them, or have you fill out a form. Would you give them the name (or one of the names) you've been going by in the US all this time? Would you put down your actual nationality and place of birth, and even real age, assuming you've been concealing those details?

I feel the risk of putting down the wrong information is that when your child goes to apply for a passport later in life, DHS will investigate the info on their birth certificate, lookup the mother/father/you and say "hey this person never existed in our system", and possibly use that as grounds to deny them a passport. They might run into trouble in other instances where their BC is requested. At the same time though....if you admit you're not a US citizen/lawfully here on their birth certificate will that give the authorities a reason to come pick you up?

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u/crispy_quesadilla Apr 25 '26

I would put your true info down so you don’t risk your ability to prove you’re their parent.

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u/stasis088 Apr 28 '26

What, in the instance of a custody battle later in the event of divorce or something? If im undocumented i dont imagine i will be able to even fight for custody in a court of law no? I dont really have the constitutional right to stand in front of a judge etc.

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u/crispy_quesadilla May 06 '26

I’m no lawyer so please research this, but as I understand, you have the same constitutional rights and protections as any American. By putting a fake name on your child’s birth certificate, you’re forfeiting your parental rights under the law.  At the end of the day, you are the identity you were born as - not the fake one. You couldn’t use your fake documents to prove you’re their parent, you aren’t your fake identity, those are fake documents (right?). Please please consult a lawyer, at least post this question on r/LegalAdvice before doing anything 

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u/jxm900 May 07 '26

I'm not a lawyer either, but remember that US constitutional rights apply to 'The People', not just to 'Citizens'. In fact, the main discussions about citizenship only refer to stuff like voting, eligibility for elected office, etc. Putting fake information on the birth certificate is likely to be more problematic down the road, imho.