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Legal Information: Mississippi

Custody

Laws current as of July 3, 2024

How is paternity established?

There are multiple ways that legal fatherhood (paternity) can be established in Mississippi:

  • If parents were married to each other when the child was conceived or born, paternity is automatically established for the husband;
  • If parents were not married to each other when the child was conceived or born, then they need to do something to establish paternity. This can be done:
    • involuntarily - one of the parents asks the local family court to establish paternity, usually through DNA testing;1 or
    • voluntarily - both parents agree to who the father of the child is. This can be done through a sworn acknowledgement of paternity at:
      • the hospital or birthing center; or
      • the Bureau of Vital Statistics of the Mississippi State Department of Health.2

1 Miss. Code § 93-9-21
2 Miss. Code § 93-9-28(1), (4)

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