The Voluntary Paternity Affidavit Program provides information, resources, and training to help Iowa families, hospitals and clinics, and community organizations understand the importance of establishing paternity, and learn how to complete the VPA process.
The paternity affidavit is a form that legally establishes paternity.
The legal father is the man the law recognizes as father of the child.
Completing a paternity affidavit establishes a legal father for your child, which might lead to child support, health insurance, medical coverage, education costs, disability insurance, custody, visitation rights, Social Security, and more.
Establishing a legal father for your child may decrease the risk of learning disabilities, substandard academic achievement, behavioral problems, and teenage pregnancy.
Establishing paternity at the hospital is associated with more father involvement throughout the child’s life.
Paternity establishment may lead to more emotional support, social entitlement, and financial resources for children.
Children with fathers who provide for their children and who have positive and regular connections may have better emotional wellbeing and may have fewer behavioral problems.
Establishing paternity is associated with increased child support and visitation, which is positively associated with the child’s mental health and wellbeing.
The paternity affidavit is free to complete and file.
Both parents need to bring one of the following documents. The following IDs are acceptable as long as issued by a U.S. government office and have not expired (i.e., are current).
OR, provide copies of two to three forms of documents that identify the person. Names and current addresses listed on the documents must match. Following are example supporting documents:
Parents can complete a VPA at the hospital at the time of birth, the local county recorder office (PDF) or a local child support office. All paternity affidavits submitted require a notary public’s signature and a copy of each parent's ID (see above for appropriate IDs).
The biological mother and father both sign the paternity affidavit and agree that the people signing are the biological mother and father, which establishes a legal father. However, if the mother was married at conception, at the birth, at any time in between conception and birth, the person the mother was married to is considered the legal father. In this situation, a court order needs to be filed to disestablish the legal father.
Parents can complete the paternity affidavit any time after the child is born.
Even if a child’s parents are together and get along, the child is not eligible for any legal benefits and the father has no legal rights to the child until paternity is established through a paternity affidavit or court order.
