Florida Paternity Acknowledgment Form DH-511: Signing and Rescission

Florida’s paternity acknowledgment Form DH-511 is a voluntary document that unmarried parents sign at the hospital shortly after their child’s birth, adding the father to the birth certificate without a court case. The hospital supplies the form and a notary, both parents sign, and the birth registrar sends it directly to the Florida Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville. Once complete, the father is the child’s legal father for purposes of support, inheritance, and benefits, though the form by itself does not grant custody or a time-sharing schedule.¹

Who Can Use the DH-511

The voluntary acknowledgment process is available only when the mother is not married at the time of the child’s birth. Florida law does not allow a father’s name to be added through this form if the mother is married, because the husband is presumed to be the legal father. Overcoming that presumption takes a court proceeding, not this form.²

Both parents must also agree on paternity. The form cannot be used if paternity is in dispute, and no court action establishing paternity for the child can already be pending or completed.³ If either parent has doubts about biological parentage, genetic testing through the Florida Department of Revenue’s child support program or a court-ordered test under Section 742.12 is the safer path before signing anything.

What to Have Ready Before Signing

Bring the information with you. Missing or illegible entries slow processing and can push you into the paid amendment process later. The DH-511 asks for:

The child’s full legal name (first, middle, last, suffix), date of birth, Social Security number if one has been assigned, and place of birth including city, county, state, and ZIP code.
The mother’s full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, state or country of birth, and current mailing address.
The father’s full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, state or country of birth, and current residential address.

The child’s name as written on this form becomes the name on the birth certificate, so spell it exactly the way you want it to appear on the permanent record.

Both parents also need a valid government-issued photo ID at the signing. The Bureau of Vital Statistics accepts a driver’s license, passport, state identification card, or military identification card. Without photo ID, the state will not issue a certified copy of the birth record to that parent.³

How the Signing Works at the Hospital

Both the mother and the father sign in the presence of either a notary public or two witnesses. You cannot mix and match; pick one or the other.³ At the hospital, a notary is typically provided at no charge, which is by far the simplest route.

Both parents sign under penalty of perjury, affirming that the mother was unmarried at the time of birth, that no other man is listed as the father, and that they are the child’s biological parents.

Before either parent signs, the hospital is required to explain the legal consequences of signing, the alternatives to voluntary acknowledgment, and the rights and responsibilities the form creates. That briefing can be delivered orally, in writing, or by video. If either parent is a minor, the briefing must include any protections that apply because of their age.² Pay attention to it. Once the rescission window closes, undoing the acknowledgment is difficult.

What Happens After You Sign

If you sign at the hospital, you generally don’t need to do anything else. The hospital’s birth registrar submits the DH-511 to the Bureau of Vital Statistics, and the father’s name goes on the birth certificate when it’s recorded. The father becomes the legal father as soon as the form is complete.¹

If You Miss the Hospital Window

Parents who leave the hospital without signing the DH-511 aren’t out of options. A related form, the DH-432, can be filed anytime before the child turns 18 to establish paternity and update the birth certificate.¹ The information and signature requirements are the same, but the parents arrange their own notary or witnesses, mail the form to the Bureau of Vital Statistics themselves, and pay a $20 processing fee along with Form DH-429 for the amendment.⁴

The 60-Day Rescission Window

Either parent can cancel the acknowledgment within 60 days of signing, as long as no court hearing involving that parent and the child has taken place during that window. If a court proceeding, including a child support case, begins before the 60 days are up, the rescission deadline moves to the date of that proceeding, whichever comes first.⁵ To start a rescission, contact the Bureau of Vital Statistics in Jacksonville.³

After 60 days with no rescission and no court hearing, paternity is legally established. From that point forward, the only way to undo it is to file a court challenge and prove that the signature was obtained through fraud, that the signer acted under duress, or that there was a material mistake of fact, such as DNA evidence showing the man is not the biological father. The person challenging carries the full burden of proof, and any child support obligation remains in effect during the challenge unless the court finds good cause to suspend it.⁵

What Signing Does and Does Not Do

A completed acknowledgment establishes the father’s legal obligation to support the child, including child support and medical support. It also gives the child inheritance rights from the father’s estate and access to the father’s medical history and benefits. If the father dies or becomes disabled, the child may qualify for Social Security survivor benefits or veterans’ benefits, and having the father’s name on the birth certificate is a prerequisite for those claims.¹

Signing the DH-511 does not give the father custody rights or a time-sharing schedule. Those are separate legal matters. To get a parenting plan covering where the child lives, visitation, and decision-making authority, the father must file a petition in circuit court. Until a court order exists, the mother on the birth certificate has sole legal custody by default.⁶ Fathers who want a role in day-to-day parenting decisions should treat the acknowledgment as the first step, not the last one.

1
Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Child Support Program – Establish Paternity
2
Florida Statutes. Florida Code 382.013 – Birth Registration
3
Florida Department of Health. Acknowledgment of Paternity
4
Florida Department of Health. Amendments and Corrections
5
Florida Senate. Florida Code 742.10 – Establishment of Paternity for Children Born Out of Wedlock
6
Child Welfare Information Gateway. The Rights of Unmarried Parents – Florida