Men – Have you ever had a one-night stand and wondered if a pregnancy resulted? What if contact information wasn’t exchanged? Or dated someone briefly but lost touch? What happens if she decides to consider adoption? How would you feel about that? Whether or not you would want to parent or place, most would want to know what is going on in the situation.

In Texas, you have the right to parent a child that is biologically yours. One way to protect that right is by signing up for the Putative Father Registry.

What Is the Paternity Registry?

In legal terms, men who are thought to be potential fathers of unplanned pregnancies are known as putative or alleged fathers. If a man believes he may have fathered a child and wants to be notified if there is an attempt to put the baby up for adoption (place that child for adoption), he can sign up with the registry. The Putative Father Registry is a database that adoption agencies are required to check to make sure there is not a potential father out there who wants to be notified if their potential child may be placed for adoption. By signing up for the registry, they are given certain rights regarding a child that may be biologically theirs. These rights include notices of intent to terminate parental rights and notices of a petition for adoption.

To file with the Texas Paternity Registry you’ll need to complete a Notice of Intent to Claim Paternity with the Texas Vital Statistics Unit. You’ll need to provide as much information about the mother as possible and, if possible, any information you have about the child, including possible due dates.

You must file with the Texas Paternity Registry before the baby is born or within 31 days of his or her birth.

What Happens If There Is a Child?

This really depends on how you want to move forward. If you want to exercise your paternal rights, you should contact a family law attorney right away. He or she will be able to guide you through the process of establishing paternity.

If I register and an adoption doesn’t happen, will I be required to pay child support?

Registering as a putative father is not the same as establishing paternity. If you are unmarried and the child’s mother has not signed an Acknowledgement of Paternity, you have no rights or responsibilities towards the child. That means you won’t have to pay child support, but you also won’t have the right to build a relationship with your child or make any parenting decisions.

Please keep in mind that this blog post is for informational purposes and should not be considered legal advice. If you are a potential father in Texas and need guidance establishing your parental rights, please contact a family law attorney.