What a difference both parents make!
What is Paternity Establishment?
Paternity gives children two legal parents.
Paternity means legal fatherhood. Paternity establishment is how a biological father becomes the legal father of his child if he and the mother are not married.
If you and your partner are not married, you must establish paternity before the father’s name can be placed on your child’s birth certificate.
Click below to learn more:
The Importance of Paternity
Paternity benefits everyone!
Establishing paternity gives both parents and their child the rights and opportunities they need and deserve.
For parents, establishing paternity:
- Ensures that both parents have custody and visitation rights
- Ensures that the father has the right to be notified of any plans to have the child adopted by someone else
- Ensures access to child support
For children, establishing paternity:
- Provides the opportunity to form a relationship with both parents
- Helps develop a sense of identity
- Provides access to both parents’ medical histories
- Provides access to health insurance and other financial benefits
Ways to Establish Paternity
There are two ways to establish paternity in NJ.
1. Certificate of Parentage:
Both parents can complete and sign a voluntary Certificate of Parentage (COP) form. It’s free.
You can sign this form:
- At the hospital when your child is born
- After you leave the hospital at the State of New Jersey Office of Vital Statistics and Registry, a local registrar in the municipality where your child was born, or a local child support office
2. Court Proceedings:
You can file a complaint for paternity establishment with the Family Court. Visit the child support website to submit an application for paternity establishment or call 1-877-NJKIDS1 with questions. You can also contact a private attorney for assistance.
COP Info