Legitimation

In Georgia, legitimation is the legal process that an unwed father undergoes to become legal father of a child born out of wedlock (outside of a marriage). Simply speaking, a child born to a father who is not married to the mother is not considered the child’s legal father until this process has been filed, completed and approved. This is still the case even if the father’s name is on the birth certificate and the child has the father’s last name.

Here at McKinley Law Group we help fathers ensure that they will have legal rights to their own children through the proper legal channels, thus avoiding the stressful times where access can be denied by the mother and they find themselves having to get a Court Order to see their own children. A father MUST legitimate his child to have visitaton or custody, even if they have been paying child support.

The most common question is whether a mother can contest legitimation or custody. The simple answer is that yes, it can be contested BUT the mother has to provide evidence that either the father isn’t the biological father of the child or that the father is unfit. Contact us today at 404-841-8480 or request a FREE consultation via our website.