Steps to be appointed a notary public. Download Notary Application.To enter the father's name on your child's birth certificate and to change the child's name, please complete the enclosed affidavit forms. For birth certificates for people born in Maryland before 1940, call the Maryland Vital Statistics Administration at 410-764-3038. The affidavit must be sworn before a notary public. The affidavit is available on the Maryland Department of Health's website. Download the required submittal form. Complete the form and send it with your document to the Secretary of State. Notarized document must be taken to the Clerk of the Circuit Court for certification, in the county where the notary was commissioned. Birth certificates do not need to be and should not be notarized.