What is the enlistment regulation regarding Birth Certificates?

2023-11-20T17:02:32-05:00

I have a family acquaintance trying to enlist. He is adopted, and on his birth certificate there is no father named. In fact, at adoption............. his original certificate was destroyed and a new one was fabricated by the county with only his adoptive mother (unmarried) as the only parent.

His recruiter is pushing back on his certificate saying it needs a father.

1) What is a recruiting regulation pertaining to Birth Certificates?
2) What is the waiver authority regarding said regulation?

Response by SFC Casey O'Mally made Nov 20 at 2023 6:48 PM

2023-11-20T18:48:51-05:00

I don't know the regulation. But this sounds HIGHLY sus to me.

I work in foster care, and deal with adoptions on a pretty regular basis. An amended birth certificate, listing adoptive parents and removing bio parents has become the norm. If there is only one adoptive parent (and I have seen that many times), there is only one adoptive parent. The Army cannot require falsified documentation - and adding a father would be falsifying it.

That single parent birth cert is a LEGAL DOCUMENT - and properly done. It sounds to me like the recruiter needs to pull his/her head out of his/her 4th point of contact.

Response by SP5 Peter Keane made Nov 20 at 2023 7:09 PM

2023-11-20T19:09:28-05:00

Pretty sure a birth certificate at enlistment is only to show age and nationality.

Response by COL Randall C. made Nov 20 at 2023 7:16 PM

2023-11-20T19:16:05-05:00

The reason the recruiter needs a birth certificate is part of establishing the potential recruit's eligibility - age, being a United States citizen, verifying place of birth, and establishing the legal name used when doing records checks such as police records, court cases, etc. Establishing who the recruit's father is something that is neither required nor needed.

Additionally, the recruiter apparently doesn't know what is or isn't required to issue a birth certificate. While the laws regarding birth certificates vary from state to state, there is no requirement to have a father's name on a birth certificate in any of them for it to be valid and issued (there are plenty that require a father be listed if he is exercising his parental rights, but that's something else). This is regardless if it was there or not in the original.

So someone saying "it needs a father listed" apparently doesn't know any better, was told to do it by someone like that, or is making it up because of something else ("it won't let me leave that field blank in the system, so that means you must provide me with a father's name" ... "I hate to leave entries blank on a form").

As to a regulation that requires an applicant to have a birth certificate with the father's on it - I don't believe one exists. Regardless, I did a deep search on the USAREC regulations, manual, training circulars, policy letters, pamphlets and forms, and as expected, I didn't find anything.

The main regulation regarding enlistment into the Army is AR 601-210*. USAREC Regulation 601-210* is supplemental guidance to that.
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* AR 601-210 (Regular Army and Reserve Components Enlistment Program) - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/ARN30575-AR_601-210-000-WEB-1.pdf
* USAREC Regulation 601-210 (Enlistment & Accessions Processing) - https://recruiting.army.mil/Portals/15/Documents/Forms%20and%20Pubs/Regulations/UR%20601-210.pdf

ARN30575-AR_601-210-000-WEB-1.pdf

Response by Nicholas Williams made Nov 21 at 2023 4:44 PM

2023-11-21T16:44:00-05:00

I'm not an expert, but it seems like your family acquaintance might face challenges due to discrepancies in his birth certificate. Recruiting regulations vary, but it's advisable for him to consult with the recruiter and possibly seek legal advice to navigate this situation. Waiver authority might depend on the specific circumstances and policies of the recruiting branch. Good luck!