Process For Adopting A Stepchild In California

When a s tepparent adopts an adult stepchild the adopting p arent s spouse retains his her parent child relationship with the adoptee.

Process for adopting a stepchild in california.

Below are a few of the steps you can expect to encounter in the california stepchild adoption process. The process for adopting your stepchild in california is fairly straightforward. To file your papers. What do i do after the hearing.

You should read these code sections before beginning the process. Go to the probate department at the downtown superior court. When a stepparent adopts an adult stepchild the adopting parent s spouse retains his her parent child relationship with the adoptee. An adult adoption severs all existing parent child relationships unless the adopting parent is the adoptee s stepparent.

That means that once the adoption is final the adoptive parents have all the legal rights and responsibilities of a parent child relationship. The procedures for adopting an adult in california are found in the. To qualify you must be legally married to the custodial parent of the child whom you wish to adopt. The procedures for adopting an a dult in california are found in the california family code fam 9300 9340.

Alg handles stepparent adoptions in los angeles orange riverside san bernardino san diego and ventura. The adoption agreement. Adoption is the legal process of establishing a legal parent child relationship when the adopting parent is not the child s biological or birth parent. Filing of the adoption request the first step in your stepparent adoption is to file an adoption request in the county you reside in.

You can get certified copies of the order of adoption for free. Order of adoption adopt 215 adoption agreement adopt 210 if the other parent did not sign a consent form talk to a lawyer for help with this process. The required documents for an adult adoption ar e. The procedures for adopting an adult stepchild are found in the california family code section 9300 9340.

According to the family connections website before the state will consider prospective adoptive parents for approval to move forward with the process all adoptive parents will need to complete a home study including submitting to a criminal background check and. Steps to adopting an adult stepchild in california. There are no judicial council forms to complete for adopting an adult stepchild. Although it varies per state in total it typically costs 1500 2500 to adopt a stepchild even if you have the other parent s consent and even if you don t use a lawyer because one will often be appointed for the child.

Since one of the child s birth parents remains with the child a stepparent adoption typically is more simple than if you are adopting a child through an agency.