Your baby’s birth certificate is a very important document. It proves who the baby’s parents are and who has parental rights.
If you are on the birth certificate, you do not need a court order to give you the right to custody of your baby or the right to make important decisions about your baby’s care. The birth certificate gives you these rights, unless there is a court order limiting your rights.
If both the mom and the dad are on the birth certificate, they share the right to custody and have equal rights to make decisions about the care of the baby.
You will need to show your baby’s birth certificate to get all kinds of services for your baby.