What is a Putative Father Registry?

If you are considering domestic infant adoption, you may have heard the terms putative father, putative father registry or birth father registry.  But what is a putative father? What is a putative father registry? And how do these registries work when it comes to adoption?

What is a putative father?

A putative father is a man that claims to be the father or whom is alleged to be the father of a child born to a woman to whom he is not married to at the time of the child’s birth and whose legal relationship to the child has not been established.

What is a putative father registry?

Every state has its’ own law on how to go forward with an adoption involving a putative father. 

Some states require a man to support the birthmother. They require him to be involved in her life during the pregnancy in order to establish his parental rights.  Generally a set amount of time has to pass after the birth without any supportive action from the father for a court to proceed with terminating his parental rights.

But, for about 30 states currently, that provision is a putative father registry, which requires a man that believes he may have fathered a child and wants to be notified if the child is placed for adoption to put his name on the putative father registry.

How and when does a man register for the putative father registry?

There is usually a limited period of time for a putative father to register after the birth of his alleged child.  Registration commonly includes providing information such as: his name, location, contact information, name(s) of women he may have impregnated. 

What happens with the putative father registry during an adoption plan?

During an adoption process, the adoption attorney or agency will pull the registry (from the state of the birthmother, state baby is born, and state potential birth father(s) reside) for matches to the birthmother making the adoption plan.  The registries will be checked when the deadline for the putative father to register is up. This time line varies between states but is typically 15-30 days. You can find exact procedures per state HERE.

If a match is found, the putative father is then notified of the birth and the adoption plan.  Then, if he does not respond to this notification and take action to prove his paternity and assert his parental rights then his parental rights can be terminated along with the birthmother’s so the adoption may proceed.

If you would like to learn more, I encourage you to visit these sites:

1. Putative Father Registries: state-by-state
2. AAAA: Putative Father Registries

Interested in learning more about domestic infant adoption? Make sure to read these articles from Struggle Shuttle as well:

How Do You Fail a Home Study?

Adoption Home Study Tips | The “Do’s & Don’ts”

How to Make an Adoption Profile Book

I hope this article answered your questions about what a putative father registry is. Wishing you the best on your adoption journey!