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• What is a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage or VDOP?

  The Voluntary Declaration of Parentage is a legal form that, once filed with the state, voluntarily establishes legal parentage and has the same legal effect of a court order. Unmarried parents complete and sign the declaration after the child is born.

  If you have questions, contact the San Diego POP coordinator at 858-650-6522 or by email at SDPOP@sdcounty.ca.gov.

• When and where can parents sign the declaration?

  All hospital birthing centers in San Diego County participate in the POP program. After the baby is born, the unmarried parents will be asked if they want to complete the declaration. When parents complete the form in the hospital, their names can be added to the child’s original birth certificate.

  Parents can also complete the declaration at the following locations after they leave the hospital:

  • Department of Child Support Services (8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., Monday – Friday)
  • Office of Vital Records (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday)

  Parents can also request the declaration be mailed to them and sign the forms later in front of a notary. To have the declaration mailed to you, please contact the office.

  Military parents-to-be facing or already on deployment should contact a POP Coordinator to learn how they can establish parentage. Click here for more information.

• How can we get a copy of the declaration?

  Either parent must complete the request form or send a written request with signature indicating if a certified copy or a faxed copy is needed to:

        California Department of Child Support Services
        DCSS-POP
        P.O. Box 41970
        Rancho Cordova, CA 95741-9070

  If writing a request, provide the following information:

  • Child’s complete name, date of birth, and county of birth
  • Mother’s and father’s complete names and dates of birth
  • Name of the parent making the request
  • Mailing address and phone number
  • Fax number, if requesting a faxed copy
  • Relationship to the child
  • Original signature; It will not be processed without it.

  Please allow 10 working days for your request to be processed.

  If you have questions about the POP Program, contact the San Diego County POP Coordinator at 858-650-5324 or by email at SDPOP@sdcounty.ca.gov.

• How can we cancel the declaration?

  Either parent may cancel or rescind the declaration by completing a Rescission of Parentage form. This form must be mailed to the California DCSS within 60 days of the original date the paternity declaration was signed.

  You may get a copy of the rescission form by contacting the local POP Coordinator or on the CA DCSS web site.

   

   

• I’m not 18 years old, can the baby’s father and I still sign a declaration?

  Yes. However, the declaration will not establish paternity until 60 days after both parents have reached the age of 18 or are emancipated in accordance with the California Family Code.

• I am separated from my husband, but not divorced yet. Can my boyfriend, who is the baby’s biological father, sign the declaration?

  No. The law presumes that as long as you are legally married, the husband is the father of the baby. Only the court can establish paternity with someone other than your legal husband.

• Can the declaration be submitted when a parent does not have current home address or a valid Social Security number?

  Yes, address and Social Security number are optional.

• Can a father that is married to someone else sign a declaration?

   

  Yes. The father, although married to someone else, can sign the declaration to have his name entered on the child’s birth certificate as the legal father.

• Can parents complete a declaration when a child is born alive and then dies shortly after birth?

  Yes. Parents may complete and sign a declaration when there is a live birth and the child dies shortly after birth.

• Can a declaration be completed when the father has died prior to the birth of the child?

  No. If the unmarried father has died prior to the child’s birth, the father’s name cannot be added to the birth certificate using a declaration.

  Parentage must be established through the court process. The mother should contact an attorney or a Family Law Facilitator to determine how to proceed with the process of establishing parentage for the child.

• Can the biological parents sign a declaration form if the child is going to be adopted?

  Yes.

• Can same sex couples that conceive a child through artificial insemination sign a declaration?

  Yes. Female same-sex couples who want to establish parentage can do so by signing a Voluntary Declaration of Parentage. However, male same-sex couples cannot.

  To check eligibility and for more information on changes to the Parentage Opportunity Program and Voluntary Declaration of Parentage effective January 1, 2020, visit the California DCSS website.

• What do I do if a default court order established paternity, but I don’t think I am the child’s biological father?

  AB 252 allows the court to order genetic testing (under certain circumstances) to determine whether the previously established father is the biological father.

  Contact an attorney or the Family Law Facilitator for legal assistance.