Last Updated on May 11, 2022 by Fair Punishment Team
Who wouldn’t like to be younger? Even though many people might wish that they could change their birthdate in order to shave a couple of years off of their age, there are a variety of other legitimate reasons as to why someone might wish to change their legal age, such as a birth certificate error.
Generally speaking, it is typically not viable to change your birth certificate so that it shows a different date of birth.
Even though it might be a tempting idea, changing over an official record such as a birth certificate can be deemed an act of fraudulence, and is usually only granted in exceptional circumstances, which we’re going to be talking you through more below.
If you’re currently interested in changing your age legally but you’re not sure where to start (or even if you’re going to be able to) then rest assured that you have clicked on the right article!
To help you understand a little bit more about legally changing your age, we’re going to be talking you through everything that you need to know about this below. Read on!
Can You Legally Change Your Age?
Before we jump any further into this article, we first think that it is a good idea to talk you through whether or not it is even possible to legally change your birth certificate so that you will be able to legally change your age.
As we have already touched upon above, it is generally not a viable option to legally change your age simply due to the fact that your age is your age.
Due to this, if you would like to legally change your age simply due to the fact that you want to have a different age (such as to appear younger or a similar reason) then you’re not going to be granted permission to change your birthdate.
Moreso, if you decided to try and change over your official records without any permission, then you might even find yourself charged with fraud – and this could come with a hefty fine and even jail time!
Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that the information we have shared with you above is entirely general information, and might not be applicable to your personal situation.
So, to help you gain a better understanding of whether or not you might be able to be granted permission to change legally change your age, we’re going to be breaking down some of the most important factors to keep in mind regarding this issue below:
1. Make Sure That You Familiarize Yourself With Your State’s Rules
Before you even think about trying to get the go-ahead to change your birth certificate’s date of issue, you should first take the time to make sure that you’re well educated about your state’s terms and conditions regarding birth certificate changes.
Generally speaking, even though it’s usually a no-go area to make a change to your birth certificate, it is worth keeping in mind that each state will typically tend to have its own different rules set in place.
For example, while one state might happily change over your birth certificate’s date of issue upon presentation of proper evidence in support of the change, another state might require you to go through the legal process in order to get the change officially made legally – so it should go without saying that it’s important to make sure that you’re well-versed on what your state’s laws are regarding birth certificate changes.
2. Keep In Mind That You Might Need To Get A Court Order
This should come as no surprise, but given the fact that birth certificates are an official, legal document, it’s important to note that the change will more than likely need to go through the official court process first in order to get the approval and then successful change made.
Again, while the policy for filing a court order will likely change from state to state, it is worth keeping in mind that, more often than not, you will find that you are able to easily make a court order by filing for a correction of an error made when your certificate was initially made.
If you are required to go down the legal route and attend court, then the judge will make a decision on the day as to whether or not you will be able to go ahead with the change and swap out the birthdate on your birth certificate for the new one.
In order to make sure that the decision to change the date on your birth certificate is approved, we recommend that you bring along all supporting documents and evidence to support your claim to make the birth date change.
3. Consider Informally Changing Your Age
If you do not wish to go down the often lengthy process of getting your age legally changed via your birth certificate, or you find that your request to change over your birth date for a new one is not accepted – then you could alternatively opt to informally change your age.
While this last point will certainly not appeal to everyone, there is nothing wrong with deciding to move your birthday to a new date on the calendar year, or simply tell people that you are a different age.
In fact, you might be surprised to hear that lying about one’s age is more common than you might think.
Even though it is widely accepted for women to shave a year or two off of their official age on their birth certificate, you might be interested to learn that many men and women in the corporate world also lie about their age in order to make themselves more appealing to roles. The more you know!
