Mark Required Fields In Legal Tennessee Paternity Forms For Free

The bill proposed that an unmarried man would be required to take a DNA test proving paternity before he could sign the voluntary acknowledgement of paternity and have his name on the birth certificate.

Under House Bill 2698/Senate Bill 1777 unwed fathers could still voluntarily sign, but in order for the birth certificate to be officially validated, the signer must provide the results of a DNA test to Vital Records. This will insure that the actual biological father is listed on the birth certificate of the child.

Unless the father and mother agree to the entry of an order of parentage, paternity may be established or rebutted by filing a paternity suit in the proper Tennessee court. A mother, the child, a man claiming to be the father or the Tennessee Department of Human Services can initiate such a suit.

An action to establish the parentage of a child may be instituted before or after the birth of the child and until three (3) years beyond the child's age of majority.

They need to have DNA testing to determine whether or not the individual is the father. They can contact a private DNA lab or their local child support office to schedule the DNA tests. Click here to find the child support office which serves the county in which you live.

The mother and father must both sign the same form in front of a notary. Once signed and notarized, the Acknowledgment of Paternity must be filed with, or sent to, the Office of Vital Records. Once properly filed, the father is the legal father of the child and his name will be added to the child's birth certificate.