In law, paternity is the legal acknowledgement of the parental relationship between a father and a child. If the parents are not married, it is important to establish paternity, so that the legal rights of the child and parents are secured.

The legal process of determining the father of the child is called establishing paternity. There are many factors that make paternity determination very important:

• After establishing paternity, the father will be able to claim his custody and visitation rights;
• The child will acquire all legal rights that the law grants to children, such as a right to an inheritance;
• The father will be legally and financially responsible for the child, which means he either can be ordered to pay child support or he can receive child support, depending on parents’ financial circumstances.    
• If fatherhood of the child is in doubt, DNA tests are now an accepted scientific method of determining paternity. The courts often accept genetic evidence. If paternity is contested, the parties may agree on genetic testing, or the judge may order individuals to submit to the test. DNA tests are based on the presence of inherited genetic traits, which are passed from a parent to a child. The scientists will compare the genetic material of the child, the mother, and the father. If the tested man does not have the paternal genetic traits, he can be excluded as the father. If the tested man has the necessary genetic traits, strong evidence exists to conclude that he is the father. DNA testing is believed to have over 99% accuracy in determining paternity.