What happened
A Thai mother asked for advice when her foreign partner wanted to register their child as his legitimate child. The parents were not married. Before proceeding, she wanted clear written arrangements covering the child's support, financial support for herself, parental authority and travel abroad with the child.
What we did
We reviewed the personal and financial documents supplied by both parents, discussed the mother's concerns and drafted an agreement for negotiation. It covered:
- The steps for formal child legitimation.
- Child-maintenance arrangements.
- Agreed financial support for the mother, taking account of the fact that the parents were not married.
- The parents' roles and arrangements for the child's care and parental authority.
- Conditions for taking the child overseas.
We revised the document with the parties, witnessed their signatures and continued to advise the client during the negotiations and preparation of the documents.
The outcome in this case
The child was formally legitimised, and the parents put their agreed support, parental and travel arrangements in writing. This gave the mother a clear record of what each parent had agreed to do. The financial support for her was a term of their agreement, not a description of her as a registered spouse.