How do I adopt my stepson or stepdaughter in Maine?

You adopt your stepchild in Maine by filing a stepparent adoption petition in the Probate Court in your county, with the required consents and paperwork, under Maine Revised Statutes Title 18-C, Article 9. Maine has 16 counties, each with its own Probate Court, so you file where you live. Families in Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, South Portland, Auburn and everywhere else in the state follow the same basic path.

Residency. Maine sets no minimum residency period before you can file (18-C M.R.S. § 9-301). You do not have to wait a set number of months after moving to the state.

Consent. A child who is 12 or older has to consent to the adoption (18-C M.R.S. § 9-302). Younger children are not required to give consent under that provision. The other legal parent's role depends on your family's facts, such as whether that parent is involved, can be found, or agrees. Ask the Probate Court clerk in your county, or an attorney, how it applies to you.

If the other parent is absent. Maine's law refers to a six-month abandonment period (18-C M.R.S. § 9-204; 22 M.R.S. § 4002(1-A)). Whether your situation fits that standard is a fact-specific question. If the other parent is unknown, cannot be found, or objects, talk to an attorney about your case.

Home study. Maine waives the home study for stepparent adoptions (18-C M.R.S. § 9-304). That removes a step that can add time and cost in other kinds of adoption.

Timeline. A stepparent adoption in Maine typically takes about 3 to 6 months. Your timing depends on how quickly the paperwork is completed and on the court's schedule.

The basic steps:

• Confirm which county Probate Court you will file in and ask the clerk about local filing practices.
• Complete the petition and the consent forms that apply to your family.
• Gather supporting documents, such as the child's birth certificate. The Maine Office of Vital Records is the agency that handles Maine birth records.
• File everything with the Probate Court and pay the filing fee. The fee and any local requirements are best confirmed with the clerk in your county.
• Follow the court's instructions for any hearing or further steps. The clerk can tell you what your county requires.

What this page can't settle for you. Questions about the other parent's rights, a contested case, or a special circumstance in your family depend on facts. The Probate Court clerk or a Maine attorney is the right person to answer those for your situation.

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, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 151 Maine families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.