Family & Safety
Worried about doing this on your own? You may be able to get free legal help.
January 1, 2026 law change
Note: A new Illinois law changes how the Voluntary Acknowledgement of Parentage (VAP) works starting January 1, 2026. The Equality for Every Family Act expands the definition of parentage and the rights of parents. As a result, the VAP forms will change.
At this time, this Easy Form uses the 2025 form. We are updating it as new information and new forms become available.
You may find updated information on the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services website.
This Easy Form helps you make forms to tell the state who a child’s biological father is. It makes a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity, also called a VAP.
The Easy Form does not file your forms. You can download the forms and filing instructions at the end of the program.
Learn more about voluntary acknowledgments of parentage.This program will help you make your forms. It will ask questions for you to answer. At the end of the program, you will get completed forms and instructions. You can save and print them, or the program can email them to you.
Form completion time: 10 minutes to 20 minutes
You will be able to save your work in the middle of the program.
The interview and forms are in English.
Can I use this program?
To use this program, you must be:
- A father seeking to acknowledge that you are the parent of a child, or
- A mother helping the father of your child to acknowledge parentage.
What do I need first?
To complete this program, you will need to know:
- The other parent's address, birth date, and birth place, and
- The child's name and birth date.
If the mother was married to someone other than the father when the child was conceived or born, you also need to know:
- The mother's husband or ex-husband's address, birth date, and birth place, and,
- The date of their marriage.
What documents will this create?
This program prepares the following forms. The forms you get will depend on your answers.
- Instructions
- Illinois Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity
- Illinois Denial of Paternity
Worried about doing this on your own? You may be able to get free legal help.
