How to Fill Out and Mail the Kentucky VS-2J: Evidence, Fees, and Timeline

The Kentucky VS-2J is a sworn affidavit for correcting a factual error on a Kentucky birth certificate, such as a misspelled name, a wrong date, or the wrong county of birth. You fill it out in ink, sign it in front of a notary, attach documents that prove the correct information, and mail the package with payment to the Office of Vital Statistics in Frankfort. The state is strict about evidence and clean paperwork: forms with whiteout, strikethroughs, or pencil entries are rejected on sight.¹

Who Can File

Under 901 KAR 5:070, a parent or legal guardian files the VS-2J when the person named on the certificate is under 18. Once the registrant turns 18, only they can file for themselves.² A sibling, grandparent, or other relative cannot submit the form on someone else’s behalf without legal guardianship. If you are unsure whether you qualify to file, the Office of Vital Statistics can be reached at (502) 564-4212.¹

What the VS-2J Can and Cannot Fix

The VS-2J is for clerical errors made when the birth was originally recorded. Misspelled first or last names, a transposed digit in the birth date, the wrong county — those belong here.

Two situations do not. A legal name change requires a certified copy of a court order under KRS 213.121(4), not a VS-2J.³ Establishing paternity uses the separate VS-8 forms.²

Evidence You Have To Attach

You cannot just declare the correct information. You need a document that proves it. Hospital birth records, early school enrollment records, and federal census records created near the time of birth are commonly accepted, and the document has to clearly show the information the way it should appear on the corrected certificate.

Kentucky also requires that the supporting document be old enough that it predates the amendment request. The minimum age depends on how old the registrant is now:¹

Registrant 18 or older: the document must be at least five years old.
Registrant between 7 and 17: at least three years old.
Registrant between 3 and 6: at least one year old.

If the only document you have does not meet the age threshold, call the Office of Vital Statistics before mailing anything and ask what alternatives they will accept.

Filling Out the Form

Use permanent ink throughout. Pencil entries are rejected, and so is any form with whiteout or visible strikethroughs.¹ If you slip, start over on a fresh form.

The form is numbered in a logical order:¹

Sections 1 through 7 identify the record. Enter the name of the child or registrant, date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY, sex, county of birth, certificate number, and both parents’ names prior to first marriage. Copy these exactly as they appear on the current certificate, even the fields you are trying to correct.
Sections 8 through 14 identify you as the requestor. When an adult is correcting their own certificate, they are both the registrant and the requestor.
Sections 15 through 19 are the corrections themselves. For each item, write the incorrect information now on file next to the corrected version. The clerk updates the electronic record to match exactly what you write here, so be precise.
Section 20 describes your supporting evidence and how it proves the correction.
Section 21 states your relationship to the registrant: self, parent, or legal guardian.

Before you head to the notary, cross-check every field against the current certificate and your supporting documents. Any discrepancy between the three delays or kills the amendment.

If you do not have a copy of the current certificate, order one from the Office of Vital Statistics by mail or through VitalChek before you start.

Notarizing and Signing

The VS-2J is a sworn affidavit. Section 22 is reserved for the notary’s signature, commission details, and seal.¹ Do not sign the form until you are in front of the notary; they need to witness the signature.

The notary must be commissioned in the United States. If you are abroad, a notarizing officer at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate can perform the notarization. Forms notarized outside Kentucky or outside the country must carry a raised seal or inked stamp. When both parents have to sign, for example on a minor child’s amendment, each signature must be notarized individually. Banks, shipping stores, and many local health departments offer notary services for a few dollars per signature.

Because this is a sworn statement, a knowingly false entry is not a small matter. Under KRS 523.020, a material false statement in a sworn written instrument is perjury in the first degree, a Class D felony in Kentucky.

Where To Mail It and What To Pay

Mail the notarized VS-2J, your supporting evidence, and payment to:¹

Office of Vital Statistics
275 East Main Street 1E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621

Pay by check or money order made out to the Kentucky State Treasurer.⁴ Do not send cash. If you received a certified copy of the birth record within the past year and return that copy with your amendment, a corrected copy is issued without an additional certificate fee.¹ Otherwise, include the required fee for each certified copy you want.

Kentucky does not offer online submission for birth certificate amendments. The mailed package is the only route.

How Long It Takes

Mail-in requests to the Office of Vital Statistics can take up to 30 working days to process from the date payment is posted, which is roughly six calendar weeks.⁵ High volume periods run longer.

Once approved, the corrected certificate is marked “amended” per KRS 213.121(2), and the date of the amendment along with a summary of the supporting evidence become part of the permanent record.³ The office then mails you a certified copy.

Packages missing payment, evidence, or proper notarization come back in full. If the office decides the evidence is insufficient, for instance if the document does not meet the age threshold for the registrant’s age group, they may ask for more documentation rather than reject the amendment outright.

A Faster Path Within One Year of Birth

If the error was caught early, you may not need the VS-2J at all. Under 901 KAR 5:070, obvious errors, transposed letters, and omissions on a birth certificate can be corrected by the State Registrar within one year of the date of birth. The correction can be prompted by the registrar’s own review, a staff query, or a request from a parent, legal guardian, or the person who filed the original certificate.¹ Corrections made in this window do not cause the certificate to be marked “amended.”³

If your child was born recently, contact the Office of Vital Statistics or the hospital where the birth was registered before starting a full VS-2J. The fix may be simpler.

Where To Get the Form

The VS-2J is available as a downloadable PDF from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services website.¹ Print it at home and complete it in ink. Local health departments across Kentucky also stock paper copies for walk-in visitors. The most recent revision is dated November 2025; if the copy you have is older, download a fresh one to avoid problems with outdated formatting.

1
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services. VS-2J Birth Amendment Affidavit
2
Cornell Law Institute. Kentucky Code 901 KAR 5:070 – Certificate of Birth Amended
3
Kentucky Legislative Research Commission. Kentucky Revised Statutes 213.121 – Amendment of Certificate or Report
4
Floyd County Health Dept. Vital Statistics
5
Cabinet for Health and Family Services. Commonwealth of Kentucky Application for a Certified Copy of Birth Certificate