A child custody and visitation rights dispute does not necessarily involve people who were married and have gotten a divorce. People who have a child out of wedlock can still face these concerns and need help in handling them. The Acknowledgment of Paternity is an important factor in addressing these complex cases. Knowing about the importance of the Acknowledgment of Paternity and having legal assistance to represent the interests of the mother or possible father is critical.
If the mother is unmarried at the time of the child's birth, there will not be a legal father. Until there is a legal father, the biological father will have neither the rights nor the responsibilities that a legal father has. To rectify this situation, the parents can sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity form. This is generally done at the time of the child's birth, but there are other locations where it is available such as the birth registrar or the child support office. On this form, there will be a father named. He will be given the right to have custody and visitation. There might also be the requirement that he pay child support to the mother. With this form, the father's name will be placed on the child's birth certificate.