How long does the background check take for adoption in Washington?

The background check for stepparent adoption in Washington typically takes 3–4 weeks to process. This is a standard fingerprint-based criminal background check required for the adopting stepparent.

What they're looking for: Convictions of crimes against minor children. Having past nonviolent crimes (like a DUI or misdemeanor from years ago) does not disqualify you from adopting.

Good news: The background check runs concurrently with the rest of the process — so it doesn't add extra time. While it processes, the service of process and response period are also happening. By the time those are complete, your background check is usually done.

Note: Adult adoption (18+) in Washington does NOT require a background check, which is one reason it's faster (typically 4-8 weeks).