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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.
Parents can establish paternity in Tennessee until the child reaches age 21; however, the VAoP process is available only until the child reaches age 19. It is in the best interest of the child to establish paternity right away, preferably at the time of birth.
The court may enter an order of parentage upon the agreement of the mother and father unless the court on its own motion orders genetic testing. In any such agreement, the mother and father must affirmatively acknowledge their parentage of the child.
Paternity is automatically established in Tennessee if the parents are married to each other when the child is born. The mother's husband is considered the legal father, and his name will be placed on the child's birth certificate.
In Tennessee, paternity can be established either "voluntarily" or "involuntarily" until the child turns 21 years old. When the mother and father agree that the father is in fact the biological father, paternity can be established voluntarily.
The child support office can schedule DNA testing to determine whether or not the individual is the father. After positive DNA testing results are returned to the local child support office from the certified DNA lab, paternity will be established through court order.
DNA Paternity Test Overview A DNA paternity test compares a DNA sample from an alleged father and a DNA sample from a child (minor or adult) to determine whether the two individuals are likely to share or not share a father/child biological relationship.