Reasons for requesting a paternity test vary from a paternity dispute to seeking visitation with your child. There are a few important steps needed to begin the process to establish or dispute parentage in the California family courts. You will first need to file a Petition to Establish Parental Relationship to request an order for a paternity test from the family court. The form will then need to be served on the other party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once the court approves the Petition to Establish Parental Relationship<\/a><\/em>, the next step is to take the paternity test in a court-approved medical facility. The physical test to gather DNA is simple and painless. A lab tech at the medical facility will take a saliva sample of the father. In most cases, only the child and the presumed father are required to submit samples. The father needs to submit a sample in person at a center where he will be required to provide a positive ID. The child is allowed to submit a sample by mail. Typically, the result of this genetic test is ready in less than a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the cases where the father is deceased, other blood-related family members could be tested to prove paternity. These types of cases can be complicated and will benefit from the representation of a California family law attorney<\/a> with experience in child custody matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once an individual person is established as the father<\/a> of the child, he will have all the rights and responsibilities of a parent. This includes the right to request custody and visitation<\/a> orders from the court so that he or she can legally visit with his child. <\/p>\n\n\n\nRights and Responsibilities After a Paternity Test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n