Q: In TN, how do I add my child's biological father to the birth certificate. It currently lists mother refused info.
I am not looking for child support. We are still together and have been for 3 years. The reason the birth certificate says mother refused info is because when my son was born it had been right under 300 hundred days since my divorce from my ex-husband was finalized, and in TN they wanted me to list my ex-husband's name as the father or refuse to put a name down. I did not have the option to list his biological father even though he was there and wanted to be listed. Keep in mind that my Ex and I had not been together in years when the divorce was finalized, we just put it off because we were both living our own lives and it wasn't an urgent matter. I just want to know the process to get this corrected and no one at any court or government agency seems to know what I need to do. There has to be a step by step process to get this taken care of. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
A: First, I would try going to the health department to see if they will allow him to sign a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity. You would have to be there to agree to it. This would add him to the birth certificate. They may also be able to change the child's last name at that point too. Otherwise, your next option is to file a petition to establish paternity. You should consult an attorney to help you with this process.
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