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Massachusetts laws “A man is presumed to be the father of a child and must be joined as a party if (1) he is or has been married to the mother and the child was born during the marriage, or within three hundred days after the marriage was terminated by death, annulment or divorce.”

Before the mother and the biological father can acknowledge parentage of the child, the mother and the mother's husband must sign a form called Affidavit of Non-Paternity which states that the mother and her husband agree that the husband is not the father of the child.

In general, signing a birth certificate by a father creates the legal relationship and attests to the parent-child relationship. It is the same as having a paternity tests, and unless a scientific test later rules out that father, he is regarded as having all the parent rights relative to that child.

You and the other parent can establish legal parentage for your child without going to court if you both parents sign a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage (VDOP) form and file it with the state. This form is usually signed at a hospital when a child is born. But you can sign it later.

Signing a parentage acknowledgment form This is called acknowledging parentage. Once both parents sign this form and your signatures are notarized, the parent becomes the child's other legal parent and their name is added to the child's birth certificate. No one has to go to court.

Will the child's birth certificate include the father's name? A judge establishes paternity in court and orders that the father's name be included on the child's birth certificate. This can be done at any time at the request of either parent.

Fathers have just as much of a right to a parenting relationship as mothers. The key is to know your rights, remain as involved as possible in the life of the child, and to take action in court at the appropriate time to establish and enforce your rights.

You can acknowledge parentage in 3 places: In the Hospital at Birth. Parents can sign the Voluntary Acknowledgment of Parentage form in the hospital after the child is born. City or Town Clerk's Office. Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS).

If the parents aren't married when the child is born, parentage needs to be established. If you don't establish parentage, your child may only have one legal parent and the other parent's name will not be on your child's birth certificate. This is true even if both parents are living together with the child.