Establishing paternity is the term for determining the legal father of a child. If a father is not listed on the birth certificate, legal paternity must be established to:
When parents are married to each other, paternity is automatically established by marriage. When parents are not married, paternity can be established by submitting paperwork, or through a court or administrative legal process.
When the father and mother agree that the child is his, paternity may be legally established by completing a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity ». The form must be signed by both parents, notarized, and filed with Oregon Vital Records. Your local child support office can help complete this process.
If the mother wants to establish paternity for her child, she may fill out a Declaration in Support of Establishing Paternity (PDF) » | en Español (PDF) » with or without the father’s voluntary acknowledgment.
Mothers applying for public assistance can complete this form at their local Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) » or child support office. ODHS or the Oregon Child Support Program will be in contact after receiving the affidavit to discuss the next steps necessary for establishing paternity.
If the alleged father does not believe he is the biological parent, the Oregon Child Support Program will help with genetic testing to determine whether he is or not. These genetic tests are simple, accurate, and will determine if the man tested has the genetic markers required to be the biological father.
The Oregon Child Support Program can also assist men who wish to be declared the biological father of a child but need help establishing paternity.
For more information on establishing paternity, contact your local child support office.
You can apply only to place a child’s biological father on the child’s birth certificate and not seek additional child support services.
You can apply to set up a child support order in addition to establishing paternity.
To apply for paternity establishment or child support services, you will first establish an online account, and can then complete an application for services. Once you submit this application, a child support case manager will get in touch to help you through additional steps based on you and your family’s needs. See Establish a New Child Support Order for more information.
You can also take the application to your local child support office or mail it to:
Oregon Child Support Program
PO Box 14680
Salem, OR 97309
Parents considering signing the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit need to be aware of their rights and responsibilities. The video below explains their rights. They can also be found on the back of the Voluntary Acknowledgment form (Vea en Español).
This process usually takes 30-120 days.
