Do you have a suspicion who the father of your child is, but you can’t say for sure? Are you unable to convince the alleged father of the benefits of a paternity test, or is he simply unwilling to cooperate? In those cases, you can enforce a paternity test through the courts. The suspected father will have to provide DNA and in this way help to clarify the situation.
Recognition of the child
The alleged father of your child does not want to acknowledge paternity, for example because of the duties involved, or for some other possible reason? Then you can initially propose to the alleged father to have a paternity test performed. In many cases, the alleged father will want to cooperate with this.
Doesn’t that seem to be the case? Then you have the option to enforce a paternity test through legal proceedings. Please keep in mind that in that case you will need a legally valid DNA test. If the alleged father is willing to cooperate, an informative paternity test is sufficient for your peace of mind. Both tests yield the same reliable result. A legally valid paternity test only requires a stricter procedure to guarantee a few things legally.
Force paternity test
Both the mother of a child and the child itself can enforce a paternity test in court. The following conditions apply for this:
A mother can enforce a paternity test until the child’s 5th year of life.
A child can always request a paternity test.
A father can only request alternative permission for the recognition of his child from the court if the mother has refused this recognition at birth. A father cannot enforce a paternity test.
Perform a legally valid DNA test
Do you want to enforce a paternity test through legal proceedings? In that case, keep in mind that you must use a legally valid paternity test. This means that the administration of the paternity test must meet a number of strict conditions, which do not apply if you wish to take an informative paternity test for your peace of mind. On the basis of that legal validity, the court can then make a decision, for example about the rights or obligations of the father and mother. Would you like more information first? Please feel free to contact us.