If you are not married to the other parent of your child, the State of Illinois states that the simplest way for you to establish paternity is by filling out a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity form. As a resident living in Belleville or anywhere else in the state, paternity must be established before your child’s birth certificate will reflect the name of the father.
When your child is born, the hospital is required to help you with paternity establishment by providing you forms and giving an explanation of the process. If you are married, but the father of your child is not your husband, you and your husband must fill out a Denial of Paternity form before the child’s birth certificate will reflect the biological father’s name. Establishing paternity may offer a number of advantages for you as well as for your children, including:
- Protecting the rights of both you and the other parent
- Allowing your children to gain access to family medical data
- Giving your children the opportunity to have a legal relationship with their father
- Placing the biological father’s name on your child’s birth certificate
- Providing children with certain benefits, such as financial support and inheritance
Additionally, it is important to remember that revisions were made to various forms, due to the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015, and the state will not accept outdated versions. Revisions were made to the Denial of Parentage form, Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity form and Rescission of Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity or Denial of Parentage form.
This material was put together for educational purposes.
