Proving parentage

You can prove the parentage of your child using any of the following options:

• phone us if you meet certain criteria
• submit a paper statutory declaration form
• submit an online statutory declaration form through myGov.

Phone us

You may be able to tell us over the phone that you are the legal parent. To do this, at least one of the following must apply:

• you were married to the other parent when the child was born
• you’re named on the child’s birth certificate as a parent, it can be Australian or from a reciprocating jurisdiction
• you’re named in adoption papers as a parent
• you’re male and lived with the mother any time between 20 to 44 weeks before the child’s birth
• a clear statement from a relevant court identifies you as the child’s parent
• you’re a parent under the Family Law Act 1975 - this covers artificial conception and surrogacy.

Call us on the Child support enquiry line.

Submit a paper statutory declaration

We can be satisfied you’re a legal parent if there’s a legal document listing you as a parent. It can be Australian or from a reciprocating jurisdiction.

It could be a statutory declaration either:

• made by you stating you’re the parent of the child
• made by the other parent stating you are named on the child’s birth certificate
• made by a non-parent carer, stating one or both parents are named on the child’s birth certificate.

You must have this witnessed in person. Find out about who can witness your Commonwealth statutory declaration on the AGD website.

Submit an online statutory declaration through myGov

You can create a digital Commonwealth statutory declaration through myGov and provide this as your proof of parentage. You won’t need to have this witnessed in person.

Once you’ve completed your digital statutory declaration, you’ll need send it to us. You’ll need to download it to your device and then either upload it via your Child Support online account. If you don’t have an online account, contact Child Support to discuss your options. If you’re using a public device, remember to delete any saved documents, to protect your privacy.

Your digital declaration will need to include information about you and your relationship to your child. You’ll need to include one of the following options in the declaration field.

If you’re the parent

• a statement about your relationship to the child
• the child’s or children’s name and date of birth.

For example, ‘I am a parent of Jane Citizen (01/01/2010) and John Citizen (02/02/2012)’.

If you or another person are named as a parent on an Australian birth certificate

• your full name and date of birth
• a statement about your relationship to the child
• the child’s or children’s full name and date of birth.

For example, ‘I declare that Joe Citizen (10/10/1980) is entered in a register of births as a parent of Jane Citizen (01/01/2010) and John Citizen (02/02/2012)’.

If you or another person are named as a parent on an overseas birth certificate

• your full name and date of birth
• a statement about your relationship to the child
• the place of your child’s birth
• the child’s or children’s full name and date of birth.

For example, ‘I declare that Joe Citizen (10/10/1980) is entered in a register of births in Paris, France as a parent of Jane Citizen (01/01/2010) and John Citizen (02/02/2012)’.