Denial of Parentage

What Does it Mean?

A denial of parentage is a document signed by a person who swears they are NOT the biological parent of a minor child.

How Does it Work?

Denials of parentage can only be signed by a person that was married to or in a union the child's biological mother when the child was born. This person is called the presumed parent. The same is true if the child was born within 300 days the parent was married to or in a union with the biological mother.

By signing a denial of parentage, the presumed parent swears they are NOT the child's biological parent. An approved denial will prevent a person from becoming that child's legal parent in the future, unless it is successfully challenged.

Things You Should Know

Only the child's presumed parent can sign a denial of parentage. For a denial to be approved, it must also be true that:

• there is another person willing to become the child's other legal parent, not including their biological mother; AND
• the presumed parent has never signed a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity (VAP) for the child. Or, they signed a VAP that was successfully rescinded or challenged