Add Signatures via QR Code Legal South Carolina Paternity Forms For Free

To voluntarily add a father's name to a Birth Certificate, both the Mother and Father complete a form known as an Affidavit of Parentage at the Clerk of Court's office (704-832-6600). Once completed, the document is then submitted to the State Department of Vital Records to amend the Birth Certificate.

Unless and until a custody order is entered, the mother of a child born out of wedlock has sole custody. But before the father can even seek custody, he must first establish paternity. He won't even have the right to visitation with his child before doing so.

How To Amend A Birth Certificate. To fix minor errors before a child turns one, a parent or guardian must contact DHEC and ask for the change. To fix a name on a birth certificate during the child's first year, or to add a name to a child under seven years old, you must give a sworn statement to DHEC.

You can start that process at your nearest Vital Records office or the DPH State Vital Records Office in Columbia. You will need to provide a certified copy of the marriage license, and both you and the child's father will have to sign a statement called an 'affidavit' in the presence of a notary.

For married parents, paternity is assumed at birth. For unmarried parents, paternity can be established through a paternity acknowledgement at the hospital or at SC Dept. Of Public Health Vital Records (or any county health department) after leaving the hospital.

Section 63-17-20(B) states: “Unless the court orders otherwise, the custody of an illegitimate child is solely in the natural mother unless the mother has relinquished her rights to the child.

Court Order: When voluntary acknowledgment or genetic testing isn't an option, a court order can establish paternity. The court may order a DNA test and, upon confirmation, issue a paternity order. This legal recognition allows the father's name to be added to the birth certificate.

You may change a birth certificate with South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) or through a court hearing.

If either parent is not 100% sure who the biological father is, they should not sign the Paternity Acknowledgement form at the hospital. After 60 days, the Paternity Acknowledgment becomes a legally binding document.