How do I adopt an adult in Connecticut?

You adopt an adult in Connecticut by signing a written adoption agreement with the person you want to adopt and getting the Probate Court to approve it after a hearing. The adopter must be 18 or older, and the adoptee must be at least 18 and younger than the adopter (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-734).

Who can adopt and be adopted: Any person 18 or older may adopt another person who is at least 18 and younger than the adopter. The adoptee cannot be the adopter's spouse, brother, sister, uncle or aunt, whether whole or half blood.

What the court must find: The Probate Court approves the agreement if it finds two things: that the two of you share a relationship similar to that between a parent and an adult child, and that the adoption is in both your best interests.

Who signs and consents:

• Both the adopter and the adoptee sign the written agreement.
• A married adopter must have their spouse join in the agreement, unless the court finds sufficient reason why the spouse should not join.
• If the adoptee is married, the adoptee's husband or wife must give written consent (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-735).
• Consent from the adoptee's biological parents is not listed as a requirement in Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-734. If your situation involves a parent who objects or can't be found, ask the Probate Court clerk or an attorney about that specific issue.

Where you file: Filing is with the Probate Court for the district where the adopter lives. If the adopter does not live in Connecticut, it is the district where the adoptee lives. Connecticut sets no minimum residency period before you can file.

Home study: Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-734 contains no investigation or home-study requirement for adult adoption.

Hearing: A hearing is required. The court gives each party notice of the time and place, and it must also notify the adopter's spouse if the spouse is not a party. The court may notify others interested in your welfare.

Adult stepparent adoption: One parent of an adult child may join in an adoption agreement between their spouse and that adult child. In that case, the non-joining parent's legal relationship with the adoptee ends. The adoptee keeps inheritance rights from a parent who died before the adoption.

Timeline and fees: Adult adoptions in Connecticut typically take about 4-8 weeks. The filing fee depends on the court, so the Probate Court clerk in your district can confirm the current amount and any local filing steps.

Before you start: Make sure you are not related in one of the excluded ways, that any spouse involved knows about the plan, and that you can both attend the hearing. If anything about your family situation is unusual, such as a contested case or a question about a biological parent's role, speak with the clerk or an attorney before filing.

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 file it yourself without an attorney. The cost is $349 for one adult adoptee, and your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. We back every package with a 100% court acceptance guarantee, and we have helped 158 Connecticut families, and 34,000+ families nationally since 2001.