Administrative Acknowledgment of Legitimation Has Been Repealed in Georgia

Effective July 1, 2016, there will no longer be an Acknowledgment of Legitimation form available that the parents of a child born out of wedlock can sign to indicate their consent that the child may be legitimated.  Prior to the recent repeal of O.C.G.A. Section 19-7-21.1, the parents of a child born out of wedlock could sign a voluntary acknowledgment of legitimation form at the hospital at the time the child was born (up until the child was one year old) which had the effect of rendering the father's relationship with the child legitimate and declaring the father as the 'legal father' of the child.

Legal Father Defined

One can now only be declared the 'legal father' of a child born out of wedlock by adopting the child after the child's birth, marrying the legal mother of the child after the child's birth, being determined to be the legal father of the child by a final paternity order, or by filing a Petition to Legitimate and obtaining a court order declaring him to be the legal father of the child.

Legal Father Must File a Petition and Obtain a Court Order to be Authorized to Receive Custody or Parenting Time (Visitation)

If the biological father of a child born out of wedlock has not married the child's legal mother or adopted the child after the child's birth, then the only way a Legal Father of a child born out of wedlock can be granted visitation rights or custody of the child is to file a Petition for Legitimation.

How to File a Legitimation Case in Gwinnett County Superior Court 

Please read my blog article on How to File a Legitimation Case in Gwinnett County Superior Court.

11 Essential Things You Should Know About Legitimation in Georgia

Please read my blog article on 11 Essential Things You Should Know About Legitimation in Georgia.

If you or a family member or a friend have any questions about a legitimation case in Gwinnett County, or in any other County in the metro-Atlanta area including Cobb, Dekalb, Fulton, Walton, Barrow, Hall and Forsyth counties, then please do not hesitate to immediately call attorney Doug Lewis at770-682-3765 for a free initial telephone consultation.

Lawrenceville Legitimation Lawyer Douglas W. Lewis has over twenty years of experience in Gwinnett County and the Atlanta Metro area handling divorce, legitimation, paternity and child custody cases, family law cases, personal injury cases, criminal defense, civil litigation cases and estate planning matters.  If you have any questions please call the Lawrenceville office for a free initial phone consultation or to schedule an office consultation.  You can contact attorney Doug Lewis by telephone at 770-682-3765, via email.  Client reviews can be found on Mr. Lewis' Google page, Avvo page, and on his website.