Can I adopt my stepchild who is a newborn or infant in South Carolina?

Yes. In South Carolina, a stepparent can ask the Family Court to adopt a stepchild who is a newborn or infant, because the law treats anyone under 18 as a child, and there is no minimum residency waiting period under S.C. Code § 63-9-60(A).

Timing:

• South Carolina sets no minimum number of months you must live in the state before filing, so you do not have to wait for a residency clock to run.
• You file in the Family Court in your county. South Carolina has 46 counties, and the clerk can tell you local filing details.
• Your spouse, the child's parent, signs a consent to the adoption. The usual paperwork also includes a Petition for Adoption and a financial affidavit.

The child's consent:

• In South Carolina, a child's own consent applies at age 14 (S.C. Code § 63-9-310). A newborn or infant is far younger, so the child's consent is not part of the picture.

The other biological parent:

• This is the question that most often shapes an infant adoption. South Carolina's abandonment period is 6 months (S.C. Code § 63-7-2570), and a very young baby may not have been alive long enough for that period to apply.
• Whether the other parent's consent is needed, or how the court treats a situation where that parent is unknown, absent or contesting, depends on your facts. The Family Court clerk in your county or a South Carolina attorney can answer that for your situation.

Home study:

• South Carolina waives the home study in stepparent adoptions (S.C. Code § 63-9-1110(1)). That means one less step for a household with a new baby.

Cost and timeline:

• Court filing fees typically run $150-$350, and the total typical cost is under $1,000.
• Stepparent adoptions here typically take 3-6 months.

After the adoption:

• Once the adoption is final, you can request an updated birth certificate through South Carolina DHEC Vital Records. They can explain their current process and any fees.

Why families adopt early:

• Many stepparents want to be a legal parent from the start, with the ability to make medical decisions, include the child on insurance, and be named on the birth certificate.
• The child grows up with you as their legal parent from the beginning.

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, ready within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. You then file it yourself without an attorney, and our 100% court acceptance guarantee applies. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. We have helped 942 South Carolina families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.