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In Indiana, state regulations clearly specify the protocol that must be followed when registering a newborn if the parents are not married and the child’s paternity has not been legally established.
In these cases, the father’s surname may not be passed on to the baby, nor will it appear on the official birth certificate.
Children will be registered only with their mother’s surname in all of these cases
When a child’s parents are not legally married at the time of birth and the father has not formally established his relationship with the child, the baby will be registered only with his mother’s surname.
On the other hand, if paternity has been established beforehand, the parents will have the option of registering the child with the father’s surname, although the mother’s surname may also be chosen.
Father’s surname: when it can be passed on to children
According to state regulations, the ways to establish paternity with a child are as follows
Marriage
- If the baby’s parents are married at the time of birth
- If the baby is born within 300 days of the parents’ divorce
Affidavit of paternity
- At hospital: the document may be signed within the first 72 hours after birth. It must be signed by both parents
- At the Department of Health: completing the document at this facility before the child is emancipated (19 years old) or when no parent is listed on the birth certificate
- Court determination: when a paternity action is filed in court
“Information about your child’s paternity and the process by which you establish paternity will be treated confidentially by hospital staff, the Prosecutor’s Office and by attorneys," authorities say.