Paternity

Paternity refers to the legal identification of a child’s biological father. Establishing paternity is important because it gives the child access to financial support, inheritance rights, medical history, and parental benefits such as custody and visitation.

In Washington State, paternity can be established in several ways:

• If the parents are married when the child is born, the husband is automatically presumed to be the legal father.
• If the parents are unmarried, paternity can be established by both parents signing a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity form.
• If paternity is disputed, a court can order genetic (DNA) testing to determine biological parentage.

Once paternity is legally recognized, the father may have custody and visitation rights, as well as the responsibility to pay child support. If there are questions about paternity, or father’s rights, an experienced Seattle family lawyer can help navigate the legal process.