How does voluntary paternity acknowledgment affect child support and custody?
A. Voluntary paternity acknowledgment has the same legal effect as a court order establishing paternity. Therefore, based on a North Dakota Acknowledgment of Paternity form, a court may order the father to pay support and provide health insurance coverage for the child. Signing a North Dakota Acknowledgment of Paternity form does not automatically give custody to either parent. Instead, if the parents cannot agree, custody must be decided by a court based on the best interests of the child. Q. My girlfriend just had a baby and I signed a North Dakota Acknowledgment of Paternity form at the hospital. But now I am having doubts that I am the biological father. Is there a way to “undo” a voluntary paternity acknowledgment? A. Once completed, there are two ways for either parent to “undo” a voluntary paternity acknowledgment. Both ways require legal action. First, each parent has 60 days from the date the North Dakota Acknowledgment of Paternity form was filed with Vital Records to start a
