[us] Nyc Claims I Must Update My Birth Certificate Before Giving It To Me

The name on my birth certificate is "John Smith" (changed for privacy). I was born in Queens, NYC.

When I was 12, my mom had this changed to "Alex Johnson". I have the official court documents showing this change. The court is located in Pennsylvania.

I'm now trying to get official copies of my birth certificate, but the NYC DOH is claiming that I need to make a correction before getting it. That doesn't make any sense to me -- birth certificates are historical documents. I can get by with my OG birth certificate and the name change document.

Is this true, or was the agent I spoke to uninformed?

Chat transcript:

... |11:27:12 a.m.|Agent:|For further clarification it is best to communicate with our Correction Department - [correctionsunit2@health.nyc.gov]( mailto:correctionsunit2@health.nyc.gov )| |11:27:38 a.m.|Me:|I don't need a correction though, I just need my birth certificate| |11:28:12 a.m.|Me:|I have already tried to reach out to them, but they attempted to get my birth certificate changed, which is not what I want| |11:28:24 a.m.|Agent:|If your name on current photo Identification does not match what is listed on the birth certificate, you must amend it to match and then you can obtain it.| |11:28:52 a.m.|Me:|That doesn't make any sense -- for example, does everyone who gets married and changes their last name have to amend their birth certificate?| |11:29:00 a.m.|Me:|A birth certificate is a historical document, not a living document| |11:30:37 a.m.|Agent:|name changes through marriage are not the same thing as name change through civil court. Birth certificates are not public information, only entitled parties listed on the certificate can order it and the person ordering it must match the name on the certificate.| |11:30:45 a.m.|Agent:|Have a great day. Goodbye| |11:30:49 a.m.|NYC Health:|Agent has left the conversation.| ...