Paternity / Legitimation

If parents are not married, issues regarding custody, child support, and parenting time arise that differ from those when the parties are married.   If a child is born out of wedlock in Georgia, a father has no legal rights to a child unless he instigates a legitimation action.  For him to obtain custodial rights or visitation, and to enable a child capable of inheriting from a father, he must take specific legal steps.  A mother’s recourse to establish child support is to file an action to determine paternity of the child, and once paternity is established, the father will have all of the legal duties and obligations to a child as if he or she were born in wedlock.