Confirmation of parenthood

You can acknowledge parenthood before or after the birth of the child.

Confirming paternity

If you are the child’s father, you can acknowledge your paternity before the child is born at the maternity clinic. Acknowledgement means that you declare that you are the parent of the child to be born. You must notify the public health nurse or midwife of the matter, in the presence of the mother who will give birth, at the maternity clinic of the wellbeing services county where your family has been provided with maternity clinic services during pregnancy. The Digital and Population Data Services Agency will confirm your paternity separately after the birth of the child.

You can also acknowledge your paternity with the child welfare officer after the child has been born. The child welfare officer will establish paternity, after which the DVV will confirm it.

When your child is born with the help of fertility treatment, you can acknowledge your paternity using the instructions above if you have given your written consent to fertility treatment together with the mother.

Confirming maternity

If you are the child’s second mother and the child is born with the help of fertility treatment, you can acknowledge your maternity using the following instructions. When you have given your written consent to fertility treatment together with the mother giving birth, you can acknowledge your maternity at the maternity clinic of the wellbeing services county before the child is born. We will confirm your maternity after the birth of the child.

You can also acknowledge your maternity after the child's birth with a child welfare officer. The child welfare officer will establish maternity, after which the DVV will confirm it.

Please note that you must acknowledge your maternity, even if you are married to the mother giving birth.

Cancelling or denying acknowledgement of parenthood made before the birth of the child

You can cancel or deny the acknowledgement of parenthood before the child is born. Write a free-form notification containing the following information:

• your name
• your personal identity code or date of birth
• the date of acknowledgement of parenthood, if you know it.

Submit your notification to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency either by email or by post. After your notification, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency will transfer the matter to the child welfare officer who will contact you.

If you are the child’s birth mother, but there is no record of this in the Population Information System

You must obtain documentary evidence showing a mother-child relationship, as well as any legalisations and translations of documents. If obtaining documentary evidence of the mother-child relationship is unreasonably difficult, a child welfare officer can establish the maternity of the birth mother. After this, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency can confirm it, if the establishment of parenthood and the forensic genetic parenthood test prove the maternity of the birth mother.

• For the mother giving birth to the child and the other parent who acknowledges their parenthood at the maternity clinic or with the child welfare officer and whose parenthood is confirmed by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.
• Under certain conditions, for a child for whom the Digital and Population Data Services Agency confirms the other parent.