Blog: Paternity

How Is Paternity Established in Virginia, and What Can It Mean for Custody and Support?

Sep 24, 2026

By Laura L. McQuesten You may know who your child’s biological father is and still be unsure whether paternity has been legally established. Maybe a father’s name appears on the birth certificate, but you are not sure what acknowledgment, court order, or other legal process established paternity or what that means now. Or perhaps one parent is now asking for custody, visitation, or child support, and the question of legal parentage has suddenly become much...