[header] How to register paternity as an unmarried father [title] Understand " putative " fatherhood. [step] A putative father is an unmarried man who claims to possibly be a father. In other words, your paternity has not yet been legally established, but you think you might be the father. 
[substeps] Because you haven't established your legal relationship, you don't have full legal rights. However, by registering as a putative father, you potentially preserve some rights.