Child Visitation, Legitimation and Paternity in Pensacola Florida

Pensacola FL Visitation and Paternity Lawyers

When people who are not legally married have children the onus is on them to establish the paternity of the father so that he can assert his rights and meet his responsibilities as a parent. Though there are some steps that must be taken, the state of Florida makes it relatively simple to establish paternity, especially in cases when there are no questions in the minds of the individuals involved with regard to the parentage of the father.

Couples who are unmarried but mutually participating in the birth of their child can establish the paternity of the father before they ever leave the hospital or medical center. These facilities make form  DH-432 available, which is the Florida Acknowledgement of Paternity document. The parents must fill this out and sign it and the hospital will then submit it to the Office of Vital Statistics.

Couples can also obtain this form after the fact, fill it out and sign it in the presence of a notary public or two witnesses, and file it with the Florida Office of Vital Statistics. You can actually download the form from the official Florida Department of Health website. Another way that paternity can be established when there is no disagreement between the parents regarding the parentage of the father would be through the process of legitimation, which is to get married and inform the Office of Vital Statistics so that they can update the child’s birth records.

There are cases when there is a paternity dispute, and these usually take place when a mother wants to establish the parentage of the father in an effort to obtain child support payments. There, are however, cases when the person claiming to be the father will initiate the action in an effort to gain his legal rights as a parent. In either type of case paternity can be established by the court or via an  administrative order of paternity through the use of genetic testing.

For legal advice about child visitation, legitimation, and paternity, contact a Pensacola FL family lawyer for a free consultation.