§ 64.2-103 Evidence of paternity
A. For the purposes of this title, paternity of a child born out of wedlock shall be established by clear and convincing evidence, and such evidence may include the following:
1. That he cohabited openly with the mother during all of the 10 months immediately prior to the time the child was born;
2. That he gave consent to a physician or other person, not including the mother, charged with the responsibility of securing information for the preparation of a birth record that his name be used as the father of the child upon the birth record of the child;
3. That he allowed by a general course of conduct the common use of his surname by the child;
4. That he claimed the child as his child on any statement, tax return, or other document filed and signed by him with any local, state, or federal government or any agency thereof;
5. That he admitted before any court having jurisdiction to determine his paternity that he is the father of the child;
6. That he voluntarily admitted paternity in writing under oath;
7. The results of scientifically reliable genetic tests, including DNA tests, weighted with all the evidence; or
8. Other medical, scientific, or anthropological evidence relating to the alleged parentage of the child based on tests performed by experts.
B. A judgment establishing a father’s paternity made by a court having jurisdiction to determine his paternity is sufficient evidence of paternity for the purposes of this section.
History
This law was first created in 1978. The record of its establishment is cataloged in chapter 647 of that year’s edition of “Acts of Assembly,” the annual state publication listing all changes made to the Code of Virginia in that year. Unfortunately, the 1978 “Acts” aren’t available online. It has been modified 4 times. Those modifications are cataloged by “The Acts of Assembly,” a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly’s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1989, chapter 466; in 1991, chapter 479; in 1999, chapter 781; in 2012, chapter 614.
1978, c. 647, § 64.1-5.2; 1989, c. 466; 1991, c. 479; 1999, c. 781; 2012, c. 614.