When the parents of a child are married, a child born during the marriage is presumed to be the
child of the husband.
When a child is born to parents who are not legally married, then paternity must be established.
Otherwise the child has no legal father. There are two ways to establish paternity New York
State. The father can sign a voluntary acknowledgment form. In the alternative, either party can
petition the court to determine paternity.
Once paternity is established, various potential legal rights of custody, visitation and support
then become available.