Can I adopt my stepchild if we recently moved to New Hampshire?

Yes. New Hampshire has no minimum residency period, so recently moving here does not stop you from adopting your stepchild (RSA 170-B:15, I). You do not have to wait a set number of months before you start.

What this means for you:

• You can begin preparing your paperwork right away rather than waiting out a residency clock.
• Adoptions are filed with the Circuit Court. New Hampshire has 10 counties, so ask the Circuit Court clerk in the county where your family lives which location handles your case and what the current court fees are.
• If your move involved another state, such as an earlier custody order or a parent who still lives there, ask the clerk or an attorney how that affects your situation. It depends on your facts.

Other things to expect after a move:

• Your child's consent: A child who is 14 or older must consent to the adoption (RSA 170-B:3, I). A younger child does not have a consent requirement under the New Hampshire rules we follow.
• The other biological parent: Their rights are addressed separately from the adoption itself. If the parent has been absent, the abandonment period is 6 months (RSA § 170-C:5). If the other parent is unknown, hard to find, or likely to object, that is a fact-specific situation, so talk with the court clerk or an attorney about that issue.
• Home study: It is waived for stepparent adoptions (RSA § 170-B:18), so you do not need to schedule one.
• Timeline: A stepparent adoption in New Hampshire typically takes 3-6 months once you file.

Documents to gather:

• Your marriage certificate.
• Your stepchild's birth certificate.
• Any court orders involving custody or parental rights.
• Proof of the other parent's consent or information about their absence, if it applies.

If you need certified vital records from New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Division of Vital Records Administration is the agency to contact.

Where residency may still matter: New Hampshire's rule is that no minimum time is required, but the clerk's office is the best place to confirm practical details such as which county's court to use, local filing steps, and any hearing requirements. We do not want you guessing on those points.

How we help: StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, and we prepare the complete court document package for your county. You then file it yourself without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child, plus $99 for each additional child. Court-ready documents are delivered within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, backed by a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 114 New Hampshire families and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.