Legal Definitions - putative-father registry

A putative-father registry is an official list where an unmarried father can claim possible paternity of a child. This is done for the purpose of receiving notice if the child is being put up for adoption.

John and Jane had a child together but were not married. They broke up, and Jane decided to put the child up for adoption. John had no idea about this until he found out from a friend. If John had registered himself on the putative-father registry, he would have received notice of the adoption and could have taken legal action to prevent it.

This example illustrates how the putative-father registry can help unmarried fathers protect their parental rights.