Single parent with donor
Find out more about who can be registered as the legal parent of your child.
Single parent using a donor
As a single parent, if you become pregnant using a donor, it is important for the parentage registration whether you used a known or unknown donor and whether the treatment was carried out under the supervision of a healthcare professional.
Read more about different types of donorsChoosing a sperm donor on this website andChoosing an egg donor on this website.
Known donor
If you, as a single parent, become pregnant using sperm from a known donor, the parentage will be treated as a standard paternity case. This means that the donor is generally registered as the father, even if you have verbally agreed otherwise.
Unknown donor
If a single parent becomes pregnant using sperm from an unknown donor after assisted reproduction treatment under the supervision of a healthcare professional, the paternity will be considered undisclosed. This means that the Agency of Family Law will register you as a single parent.
For co-parenting to be dismissed as undisclosed, it is a requirement that the treatment is carried out under the supervision of a healthcare professional and that the treatment is specifically intended for the purpose of becoming a single parent.
The treatment must have been carried out under the supervision of a healthcare professional
A healthcare professional refers to an individual who is authorised by the Danish Health Authority to perform healthcare tasks and functions. This includes doctors, public and private midwives, as well as sperm banks, human tissue banks, and fertility clinics. These facilities receive sperm from authorised donors and distribute sperm samples to treating fertility clinics.
If the treatment is not carried out under the responsibility of a healthcare professional, the case will be treated as a standard paternity case. You will be summoned to a meeting at the Agency of Family Law to determine who may be a potential co-parent for the child. If a co-parent is not identified during the meeting, the case may be referred to the Agency for Family Law.
The Human Tissue Act falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Health of Denmark.
Initiating a parentage registration case
You can initiate a case for parentage registration by using the form "Morens oplysninger til sagen" (mother’s information for the case) on familieretshuset.dk.
If the case is closed as unresolved due to treatment with sperm from an unknown donor and you later wish to register a co-parent, this must be done in accordance with the adoption regulations. Read more aboutthe rules for adoption on this website.