Is paternity established through a court or via DNA testing?

In North Carolina, paternity can be established either through a court order or by DNA testing. The most common way to legally establish paternity in North Carolina is through a court order. After the parent(s) of a child is established, the court will enter an “Order Establishing Paternity.” This is a legal document that states that the father of the child is who the court has identified. Another way to legally establish paternity in North Carolina is through DNA testing. This is usually done with a simple blood or cheek swab test. A lab will analyze the DNA in the sample and compare it to the parent’s DNA to determine paternity. If a match is not found, then the man tested will not be identified as the parent of the child. Although either of these processes can be used to establish paternity in North Carolina, if an “Order Establishing Paternity” is not signed by the court, paternity cannot be changed in the future. If you are unsure of who the father of a child is, it is important to take the necessary steps to legally establish paternity as soon as possible. This is the only way to ensure that the child is properly taken care of and that the parental rights are legally established.

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Is paternity established through a court or via DNA testing?

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