Arkansas Legal DNA Testing Laws & Statutes

Arkansas Legal DNA Paternity Testing Laws & Statutes:

Need court approved legal DNA testing for Paternity, Siblings, Grandparent, Avuncular Aunt/Uncle, and/or USCIS immigration DNA Testing in your city & state? We offer AABB Accredited Legal DNA Tests for USCIS Immigration Visa, CRBA, Child Support Enforcement, estate planning, Social Security Benefits, or any other legal purpose which requires an AABB accredited DNA test. You may also use our Arkansas legal DNA paternity testing kits to change names on a birth certificate with your local vital statistics office. The important legal DNA statutes information below will help you to learn more about the Arkansas Legal DNA paternity testing laws in your state.

According to the Laws of Arkansas and paternity statute 9-10-108 , when a child is born to married parents, there is an automatic legal relationship between the child and the husband of the mother; and the father's name will appear on the birth certificate. When a child is born to unmarried parents, there is no automatic legal relationship between the father and the child. The biological father's name will not be placed on the birth certificate without filling out an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP). This is called paternity establishment, and it establishes the biological father as the legal father.

How to Establish Paternity
There are two ways to establish paternity:

1. Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity
This method does not require that the mother is a customer of OCSE.

A mother and father can voluntarily sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity (AOP) form any time before the child turns 18. Establishing paternity is easy and free. The process is available to parents if the mother was not married at the time of birth or if the biological father is someone other than the mother's current spouse. If both parents complete the AOP form, they don't have to go to court to establish paternity.

Both parents must have their signature witnessed and notarized by a Notary Public. No blood test is required. AOP forms are available in birthing centers throughout Arkansas, the Arkansas Department of Health, and any local Office of Child Support Enforcement. Each facility can help you complete the form.

If the mother was married to someone other than the biological father at the time of birth, an AOP can be completed at the hospital by the mother, husband/ex-husband, and the biological father; the biological father’s name will appear on the birth certificate.

If a birth certificate is filed with Vital Records without a father's name, and later the mother and the biological father want to complete the AOP, the parents can go to the Vital Records office and complete the AOP. The birth certificate will be amended showing the father's name. There is a space on the AOP that allows for the change of the child's last name.

Parents will not be able to use the AOP if a child is born into a marriage, and later the father discovers he is not the biological father. The parties will need to seek the advice of a private attorney. [More]