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What in the World Is A “Vap”

“VAP”; You will probably hear this legalese around courtrooms handling paternity cases. But, what is it? A Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity, commonly referred to as a VAP, is a document much like a birth certificate that acknowledges who the biological father of a child is. Even though a birth certificate seems like a very official document to you and me, in the cases of unwed parents, the birth certificate is not enough.

Where the parents of a child are not married when the child is born, a man can be deemed the father in the following ways:

  • Executing a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity;
  • A court determination of the man’s paternity;
  • The man adopting the child;
  • Through a surrogacy arrangement complying with state laws.

If even a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity is signed, fathers still face obstacles in securing parenting rights such as making parental decisions and exercising parenting time with the child.

If you need help acknowledging your paternity and securing father’s rights, do not hesitate to contact our Aurora family law attorneys today.