NEWS / CA bill could allow diacritical marks in vital records such birth, death, and marriage certificates

A California state bill proposes allowing individuals to spell their names with diacritical marks such as the acute and grave accents commonly used in Spanish, on birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, as well as other vital records.

The bill (AB 77) was introduced by California Assembly member Blanca Pacheco, who represents the state’s 64th district (covering Los Angeles and Orange Counties).

“My parents are both immigrants from Mexico,” Pacheco was quoted by CBS8 News as stating, “Having their name spelled correctly was always very important or even said correctly was always important for my family.”

The majority of world languages use the Latin alphabet but often add diacritical marks to account for stress, tone, as well as sounds that do not normally appear in the Latin alphabet. This includes Spanish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

In many languages, the presence or absence of a given accent can change the meaning of the word. For example, in Spanish, the word Colon means colon, while Colón is a last name.

The bill was introduced earlier this week but got held back due to concerns over cost and feasibility. The California Department of Public Health estimates that reprogramming computer systems to print diacritic marks on birth and death certificates would cost millions. Marriage licenses in California are issued at the county level.

A similar 2014 bill failed after it was deemed too expensive. A 2017 bill that allowed diacritic marks got vetoed by then-Governor Jerry Brown.

A&M Logos International is here to help you retrieve your birth, death, or marriage certificate, whether you have diacritics or not. Call us today at (212) 233-7061 or info@apostille.us. You may also wish to for a birth, death, or marriage certificate on our website.