Add Formula Field To Legal Virginia Paternity Forms For Free

Under the law of the state of Virginia, the court gives no legal right to the father of a child such as custody and visitation if the father was never married to the mother of the child. The father must obtain a court order for him to be able to file for custody or to be granted visitations with a child.

Custody Once Paternity Is Established Everything changes once paternity is established. At that point, both parents would have equal custody rights, and if either parent wishes to change that, they will need to go through the court asking for custody and/or visitation.

If the mother of a child is not married to the natural father of the child at the time of birth or was not married to the natural father at any time during the 10 months next preceding such birth, the name of the father shall not be entered on the certificate of birth without a sworn acknowledgment of paternity, ...

Child Custody and Visitation for Unwed Parents in Virginia In many states, when there are unmarried parents, the default position of the court is to give custody to the mother unless the father takes action to gain custody. In Virginia, once paternity is established, the courts do not favor one parent over the other.

If the parents are married to each other when the child is born, then they just list themselves as the parents when applying for the child's birth certificate, and that is all it takes to establish paternity.

Unmarried parents can sign a form called the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP) prior to discharge from the hospital. This is a no cost at the hospital. Unmarried parents are provided a simple and convenient method in Virginia to place the father's name on the child's birth certificate.