Q: My daughter is 9 and I want to get sole custody but I have no idea where her biological father is.
My 9 year old hasn't seen her father since she was 14 months old. We were never married. She doesn't even know he exists. I have no idea where he is. Not even sure what state he is in. He has never paid his child support. The courts couldn't find him to enforce the order. I want to file for sole custody so I can get her a passport. We are planning to move to Ontario next year. How do I go about filing for this?
A: You must make efforts to locate the father. You must try to contact family and friends to see if they have a current address for him. Do a google search to see if his name and address comes up. If you do these things and do not find him, then you can request the court serve him by alternative means. This means by posting a notice at the courthouse of your complaint for custody. You must serve him or the case cannot go forward. You should consult an attorney to assist you as proving to a court you have made reasonable efforts to locate the father can be tricky.
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