﻿Having a baby is a life-changing experience and it's important to make sure the rights of
both parents and their child are protected. For New York couples who aren't legally married,
or who have conceived their child through assisted reproduction, your rights are protected
and your relationship is legally formalized by signing the Acknowledgment of Parentage form.
An Acknowledgment of Parentage (or AOP) is a document that is signed by parents to
establish the child's legal parentage. Both parents must voluntarily sign. This video
will guide you through the steps to complete the Acknowledgment of Parentage document.
The AOP can be downloaded from the Child Support website where there are many resources
including the document in several languages, guides, and other informational documents.
The AOP form has several pages, and both parents should take some time to read all of them for
important information about signing this document including your rights and responsibilities. On
the final two pages of the form, you'll list all the information about yourselves and your child.
The form may be signed in the hospital when the baby is born, or later in your local
birth registrar's office or another location such as your home or a lawyer's office.
This form is fillable. Depending on what software you have, you may be able to complete it on
a laptop, tablet, or mobile device. If you fill out the form on a computer or device,
you will need access to a printer so that the form can be manually signed and dated.
The AOP form has sections to capture basic demographic information about the birth parent,
the other parent and the child. It is important that you complete the form in its entirety.
Let's take a look at each section. The first thing to do is check the correct box for where
the form is being signed such as a hospital, child support office or birth registrar.
Check the 'other' box if you're signing in another location such as a lawyer's office or at home.
Next you'll list information about your child, beginning with the child's first, middle
and last name. The child may have the last name of either parent or any combination of those names.
The child's name will not affect the child's legal status. It is crucial that you do not
make a mistake when writing the child's name. Once written, the child's name cannot be crossed out or
corrected in any way. If you make a mistake, we recommend that you start over with a new form,
otherwise your form will be rejected. Next you'll select the gender of the child
and note the date of birth, using two numbers for the day and month, and 4 for the year.
Below this are lines to list the hospital or facility where the child was born,
or write "home" if it was a home birth, as well as the city and county or borough of birth.
If the child's birth certificate was already filed and you wish to change the child's last name in
addition to adding the other parent's name, write in the last name as it appears on the original
birth certificate, and the new last name as you want it to appear on the new birth certificate.
The Last name and New last name fields should match.
Remember the Acknowledgment of Parentage form is a legal document that is filed with your county
and the state. This is why it's so important to read all the information on all the pages
of this form. Next are the parent sections. You as birth parent or other parent will list your first,
middle and last name, as well as your current address.
Additionally the Other Parent will list their city, state or province and country of birth.
Below this, list your date of birth, using two numbers for the day and month,
and 4 for the year, and your social security number if you have one.
If either parent does not have a social security number, you may still complete this form,
just leave that field blank. If you make a mistake on any field except for the child's name,
you can fix it by simply drawing a line through the mistake,
writing your initials, then writing the correct information.
The birth parent will answer the question "Were you married at the time of birth?"
and the other parent will answer the question "Are you the genetic/biological father of the
child?" The answers to the questions have no bearing on whether your form will be accepted,
they just help us know how to file the form once it's received.
If the form was typed, pages 5 and 6 must now be printed. Before signing the AOP,
each parent must understand what they are signing. By signing, both parents are indicating that they
understand this is a voluntary process, that it has the same force and effect as a court order,
that they have received oral and written notice of their rights and responsibilities,
and that the information they are providing is true. The birth parent is indicating that
the other parent is the only possible genetic parent or the intended parent of the child.
The other parent is indicating that they are the genetic or intended parent of the child.
Each parent must sign and date the form.
As each parent signs the AOP, the signing must be witnessed by two individuals
not related to either parent. Witnesses must sign, write their names, and write the date signed.
On the back of the form, parents must clearly write their name and address where they receive
their mail, including the house number and apartment number if applicable, their city,
state, and zip code. They may also fill in the name of a gamete donor if known. The gamete donor
is the person who donated the sperm or egg if you used assisted reproduction to conceive the child.
These addresses are where your new documents will be mailed. If a gamete donor is listed,
the social security numbers of the parents will be redacted. If you fill out the AOP form at
the hospital, they'll file it for you. If you're filling this out later, you'll need to officially
file this document yourself by either mailing it or bringing it to the birth registrar in the city
or town where the birth certificate was filed. If the birth certificate was filed in New York City,
you'll file with the registrar at the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
If you're not sure, just contact the hospital or facility where you gave birth to find out
where to file it. After the form is processed, the registrar will complete the final section
of page 5, then mail each parent a certified copy of the AOP. If you are signing the AOP
after the original birth certificate was filed, the New York State Department of Health will
issue one free amended birth certificate which will be mailed to the birth parent.
Any additional copies of the amended birth certificate will be provided for a fee. For
children born in New York City, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
will issue the other parent one free amended birth certificate, and the birth parent may
exchange the original birth certificate at no cost until the child's first birthday.
After the child's first birth birthday, there will be a replacement cost. Signing the Acknowledgment
of Parentage is important to protect the rights of both parents and child, and it is a legal
document. If you have any questions about this form or establishing parentage in New York, please
visit the Division of Child Support Services website at childsupport.ny.gov for informational
videos and guides or e-mail questions to the address on your screen.