Can the father of my child challenge parental authority in the event of recognition?

Questioner

My daughter's biological father wants to acknowledge her. I think that's fine now, but I'm afraid that he could also challenge parental authority at some point. Given his current position, he won't do that, but that remains a fear in the back of my mind. So I would like to know if he can indeed challenge parental authority if he wants to and if I can do something (for example, have this recorded by a notary or something) to prevent that in the future. I hope you can answer my question. Thank you very much in advance for the effort.

Lawyer

Recognizing a child and obtaining parental authority are two different legal concepts. Acknowledging a child means that someone becomes the legal parent of that child. Acknowledging, for example, establishes the right of inheritance and confirms the legal bond between the father and the child. Parental authority involves much more than recognition. For example, a parent with parental authority has the right and duty to raise and care for the child. In addition, parents with parental authority are responsible for the personal and property of the child. If the father acknowledges the child, he does not automatically receive parental authority. It is possible that he applies for joint parental authority at the court. He can only do this if he meets the conditions: he is the legal parent (has acknowledged the child), he has a close personal bond with the child and he is suitable to exercise parental authority. If you as a mother do not want the father to have joint custody, you can object to the court at the time he files a request. The judge will always put the best interests of the child first in the decision. What you can do to try to prevent the father from obtaining parental authority in the future is to create a situation where he does not meet the conditions to apply for parental authority. However, this can be very complex and vary per situation. It is therefore strongly recommended that you seek advice from a legal professional to look at the specific circumstances of your situation.' ---------------- Stichting Rechtswinkel.nl is a national organization with students and volunteers. The above advice is based on limited information and may be incomplete or even incorrect for your situation. Always consult a lawyer or attorney for your further steps. Read disclaimer: https://rechtswinkel.nl/disclaimer I would like to invite you to rate the above answer so that we can learn from your response.

Questioner

Thank you for your quick response! Do you have any suggestions as to who I can contact for my specific circumstances? I have to say I can't see the forest for the trees as to who I can contact...