This blog has discussed on previous occasion how DNA testing works when it comes to paternity and what a Springfield, Illinois, father might expect if he decides to go to court to establish paternity.

However, there is another way that a dad who is not legally married to the mother of his child can establish paternity quickly and efficiently. This option, called a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity, just involves properly completing a form prepared by the State of Illinois.

The form basically involves a father affirming that he knows he is the father of child named on the form and promising that he is aware of the responsibilities being a father entails and will do his best to fulfill them.

Once this form is properly completed and filed with the appropriate state agency, the dad’s name will be added to the child’s birth certificate and he will have all the legal rights and responsibilities of any other father in Illinois, including the right to have parenting time and the obligation to support the child financially.

While the advantage of signing a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity is that it cuts down on a lot of court hassle, the disadvantage is that a dad may sign one of these forms and become the legal father of a child which is not his. No man can be forced to sign an Acknowledgement, however, and a man can even ask to rescind or take back, his signature, so long as he does so within 60 days of signing the Acknowledgement.