Ne-Yo is looking to get parental rights for his 2 youngest kids -- the ones he has with his current girlfriend that triggered the divorce from his ex-wife.
According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the singer's asking the court to establish parentage for his kids which he had with Sade (not THAT one) -- and he's requesting joint legal and physical custody of them, as well.
He says they had Braiden in 2021 and Brixton just last February ... and he's also hoping they'd be eligible to inherit from him as if they were born in wedlock.
As we reported, Ne-Yo's wife Crystal filed for divorce last year in Atlanta, and noted he had fathered a child to Sade during their marriage. Crystal claimed she'd been taking care of the 3 kids they shared together since their split.
Crystal was looking for primary legal custody of their children and joint legal custody ... as well as child support.
Sade's been keeping Ne-Yo in her social media posts recently, so it looks like they're at least hanging out -- but we got him at LAX last week, and he told us he's simply enjoying the single life for now.
Looks like he's at least trying to make sure the kiddos are covered.