# Portuguese birth certificate spelling error or not?



## Chadstick (Feb 24, 2016)

I received my moms birth certificate from the embassy (digital copy) but it seems to have an error with her surname. Her surname is "Ninin" in English but its spelt "Niniu" on her Portuguese birth cert.. I'm not sure if its just a Portuguese way of spelling it since my moms name is spelt "Inez" in English but in Portuguese its spelt as "Ines" with a ^ above the letter "e". 

Does anyone know of this is just the way they spell it in Portuguese or if its a spelling mistake? The birth certificate contains both her parents names and surnames too and their surnames are spelt also as "Niniu".

Thanks so much


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## paramonte (Sep 9, 2007)

Is your mum Portuguese?

If it is a spelling mistake it may lead to endless pain and problems in the legal dealings of your mum


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## Chadstick (Feb 24, 2016)

She is Portuguese yes. But i contacted the embassy and they told me an endorsement was made on the certificate stating the correct spelling for the surname is Ninin (i never saw this because i dont read Portuguese). They also said my moms name is spelt as Ines in Portuguese, not as Inez, so that wouldnt be a problem.


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## Chadstick (Feb 24, 2016)

She is Portuguese by descent, she was born and raised in S.A though.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

Chadstick said:


> She is Portuguese yes. But i contacted the embassy and they told me an endorsement was made on the certificate stating the correct spelling for the surname is Ninin (i never saw this because i dont read Portuguese). *They also said my moms name is spelt as Ines in Portuguese, not as Inez, so that wouldnt be a problem*.


Can you get them to send you written confirmation of that?


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## Chadstick (Feb 24, 2016)

travelling-man said:


> Can you get them to send you written confirmation of that?



Of her name or her surname?

I have a copy of her birth certificate (online copy) and on the second page it says in Portuguese that the surname for the registered, her parents, and grandparents, is Ninin. Then it has a case number next to it with the year the endorsement was made.


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## travelling-man (Jun 17, 2011)

If it explains the difference and that they're aware of that then I guess it shouldn't be a problem.


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## Chadstick (Feb 24, 2016)

travelling-man said:


> If it explains the difference and that they're aware of that then I guess it shouldn't be a problem.


Yeah. Thing is they checked her original registration papers from when her parents registered her and compared it to the birth certificate and realized it was a spelling error, so the endorsement was then made. 

Thank the Lord, because to change spelling on a birth certificate is a mission and a half, especially for a country you don't reside in.


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## Chadstick (Feb 24, 2016)

travelling-man said:


> If it explains the difference and that they're aware of that then I guess it shouldn't be a problem.


As for her name, I'm not sure if I can get written confirmation for it. But even when I first called the embassy and gave them my moms name, the lady spelt it as "Ines". I told her it's a Z not S. She then said oh because that's the way its spelt in Portuguese. A lady from another consulate here in Durban told me the same thing. So I'm guessing it won't be a problem when I register.


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## Chadstick (Feb 24, 2016)

travelling-man said:


> Can you get them to send you written confirmation of that?


Lol, just Googled it out of curiosity and look what I found on Wikipedia. 

"Inez is an American spelling of the Spanish and Portuguese name Inés/Inês, the forms of the given name "Agnes". The name is pronounced as /iːˈnɛz/, /aɪˈnɛz/, or /aɪˈnɛθ/."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inez


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