Number Pages In Legal Maryland Paternity Forms For Free

You may contact the Maryland Department of Health & Mental Hygiene/Division of Vital Records at 410-764-3182 to request an Affidavit, Or download from the link below. You can establish paternity using an Affidavit up until your child's 18th birthday. Signing the Affidavit is your choice.

Establishing Paternity is Essential An unmarried father needs to sign the child's birth certificate and obtain an affidavit of parentage before the child reaches 18, which is the age of majority. Unmarried fathers rights will only be enforced in Maryland if paternity has been officially established.

If you and the mother are not married to each other, you can only be listed on the birth certificate if you have signed an Affidavit of Parentage or a court has found that you are the father. You have the right to petition the court to have yourself declared the child's father.

A father has the right to: ?Legal? custody, which is the legal right to participate in important life decisions concerning your child including medical, religious, and academic issues. ?Physical? custody and visitation, which is the legal right to spend time with your child.

When children are born to an unmarried couple, either the mother or the father can pursue custody, so long as paternity has been established. In a Maryland child custody case, the court will award both legal and physical custody.

Providing Notice to the Court and the Co-Parent Parents may relocate with the permission of their co-parent or a court order. Getting permission or a court order starts with providing written notice to both the court and the co-parent of any intended move at least ninety days before relocation.