| To establish paternity for custody and visitation | | | | leverage this. |
| purposes, an unmarried man who alleges to be the | | | | Many states now have a Putative Father Registry. |
| biological father of a child must assert a claim of | | | | The unmarried biological father who wants to |
| paternity if he is denied such rights by the mother. | | | | establish paternity to preserve his custody and |
| Otherwise, his child might be given up to adoption | | | | visitation rights can file a form in this office, usually a |
| without his knowledge or consent. | | | | subdivision of the Office of Vital Statistics. The form |
| The easier way to establish your paternity is by | | | | must indicate the child's name, date and place of |
| signing an affidavit, with the child's mother, in the | | | | birth, and the mother's maiden name. This information |
| hospital where the child was born. However, in cases | | | | is critical to linking the Claim of Paternity with an |
| when that is not possible, a paternity claim will be the | | | | actual child. You can get this form at the Registry's |
| appropriate court procedure by which an unmarried | | | | office, but you must sign it under oath before a |
| father can protect his parenting rights of his child | | | | notary public. |
| born out of wedlock. Why would any man want to | | | | This registry also may expedite adoptions of children |
| do this? Believe it or not there are many men who | | | | whose biological fathers are unwilling to assume |
| want to establish a paternal-child relationship, and | | | | responsibility of their child. Adoption agencies are now |
| become a participant in their child's life. | | | | required to look in this registry as part of the |
| Frequently, many men discover a desire to become | | | | adoption process. If your name is there in relation to |
| more involved in their child's life, after their child is | | | | a particular's child mother, she won't be able to put |
| born. With this new awareness, more men want to | | | | the child up for adoption unless you give your |
| become involved in their child's upbringing. | | | | consent. |
| A man is only presumed to be a biological father if | | | | If an unmarried biological father fails to take this |
| the minor was conceived or born while the father | | | | action he may lose his parental rights entirely. To be |
| was married to the mother. The unmarried man who | | | | enforced, this form must be filed before the mother |
| wants to claim paternity of his child does not have | | | | files a termination of parental rights petition. |
| the benefit of this presumption. There is a way to | | | | |