The father of the child is the man who has conceived the child. A child is considered to have been conceived by a man who is married to the mother, has acknowledged paternity or whose paternity has been identified by court.
The application of paternity acknowledgement for confirming filiation is submitted when registering the child’s birth or later (including in adulthood).
Submitting a separate application
Applications for paternity acknowledgement and the agreement for paternity acknowledgement can be submitted to the Tartu City Government’s vital statistics department (Tiigi 12, Tartu). Please take your IDs with you.
Opening hours
Mon 9–12 and 14–17.30
Tue 12–16
Wed 9–12 and 13–16
Thu Closed
Fri 9–12 and 13–16
Additional Information
Kadri Männik phone 742 0960, email [email protected]
Acknowledgement of paternity and agreement of acknowledgement
Paternity can be acknowledged only in case the child’s filiation has not been identified according to law. Paternity can only be acknowledged personally.
In case the acknowledgement of paternity takes place when registering the birth, the according part on the birth registration form is filled out.
In case the acknowledgement of paternity takes place after registration of birth, the paternity acknowledgement application is filled out separately.
Application form for acknowledgement of paternity
In order to submit the paternity acknowledgement application, both the mother and the father of the child must be present at the vital statistics office.
In case paternity is acknowledged after registration of the child’s birth, the paternity acknowledgement application as well as the provided consent for acknowledging paternity must be submitted to the vital statistics office clerk in person or in a form that is confirmed by a notary.
The consent of the child’s mother is necessary for acknowledging paternity.
If the child has entered adulthood, the child’s consent is also necessary for acknowledging paternity. A legal representative of the child gives consent on behalf of a child who is under 14 years of age. A child at least 14 years of age has the right to give consent on the consent of their legal representative.
If the child is given the father’s surname, the vital statistics office clerk finds out the child’s consent or opinion on the matter. A child at least 10 years of age or older, whose name is being changed, needs to give their consent for it. The desire of a child younger than 10 years of age must be considered as well, if their developmental level allows for it.
Right of Custody
When acknowledging paternity, the information regarding parental custody is entered to the population register.
When submitting the application for acknowledging paternity, the parents express their desire for joint or separate custody – do they wish to exercise custody over a child jointly or individually by one parent.
Custody is the right and the obligation of the parent to care for their minor child and involves taking care of the person as well as their assets. The custodial parent is the legal representative of the child. Caring for the person means having the right and obligation to raise the child, watch over them, determine their place of stay and care for their general well-being. Caring for their assets means having the right and obligation to rule over the child’s assets.
For changing custody (for complete or partial transfer or regaining custody) you must initiate a legal proceeding.
Identifying paternity through court
Paternity is determined through court if no man has been identified as the father of the child or paternity has been contested and the court has identified that the child doesn’t filiate from the man whose paternity was contested.
By determining the filiation of the child from the father through court, the court may assign the child with the father’s surname.
Determining filiation does not solve the matter of custody – this must be applied for separately.
Changing the birth entry
Fixing a birth entry after registering a child’s birth takes place by submitting a paternity acknowledgement application, identifying filiation from the father, recognizing the father entry to be untrue, or on the basis of a court decision on adoption. A new birth certificate is issued.
When registering a child’s birth, the clerk makes an entry to the population register that is visible to the parents, state institutions and the general practitioner. An initial birth certificate is issued to the parents on demand (free of charge).