Putative Father Registries Until you establish a legally recognizable relationship with the child, no one, including mom, owes you any absolute duty except to give you notice of an adoption petition after you have made yourself legally entitled to receive that notice. Do not rely on mom. Mom may not be required to tell you her location or the status of her pregnancy. She may not even be required to give your name to the adoption petitioner or the court. For this reason, about half of the states have enacted putative father registries. The registries let adoption petitioners find putative fathers without relying on mothers naming dad. The registries are searched by the mother's name. If you have listed mom's name with yours on the registration form, the search should reveal a match with your name, and the address needed for giving you notice. But because the registries are not searched under all circumstances, the assurance is not absolute. Even if a search finds you, a court will, absent a mutual agreement, require you prove paternity, usually by DNA testing.
If your state lacks a putative father registry, the state may still have paternity acknowledgment and registration requirements that make the process function like a registry. Consult an adoption or family law attorney, preferably before the birth, about the consequences of signing a putative father registry and the procedures involved in acknowledging and establishing paternity. There are strict deadlines for signing putative father registries and for filing paternity acknowledgments. Finding a state's putative father registry Consult the National Directory of Putative Father Registries.
You can register in your own state and in other states Registration probably has no effect outside the state in which you register. And beware of any extra requirements. Some states require a registrant file a paternity action or "intent to support/adopt" the child within thirty days of registering. Consult a family law or adoption law attorney about this. You need not be present in the particular state to register. However, obtaining and returning the forms in person is faster. The forms may be available at locations other than the registry office itself. Contact the registry to find out Do not waste too much time relying on the registry offices. And do not rely on them for legal advice. Rely on your lawyer instead. No federal registry existed as February 15, 2004.
© 2004 Erik L. Smith
birth father 
