How old do you have to be to adopt in Arizona?

In Arizona, you must be an adult (18 or older) and an Arizona resident to adopt a child. Under A.R.S. § 8-103, any adult resident of the state, whether married, unmarried or legally separated, is eligible to adopt. The statute sets no minimum period of residency, but you do need to live in Arizona. It also lets nonresidents adopt only in a dependent-child situation, which is not the usual stepparent case.

Stepparent adopters. As a stepparent, you qualify by being an adult Arizona resident. Arizona also requires fingerprint clearance for adoption petitioners, so plan for that step when you prepare your filing.

Age gap between you and the child. Neither A.R.S. § 8-103 nor A.R.S. § 14-8101 states a required age difference between adopter and adoptee. If you have a specific concern about age, the Superior Court clerk in your county or an attorney can confirm whether anything else applies to your situation.

The child's age. Your age is not the only age that matters. Arizona sets a consent age for the child being adopted, which is 12 (A.R.S. § 8-106).

Adopting an adult. Arizona also allows adult adoption, and the adopter must simply be an adult (A.R.S. § 14-8101(A)). The person being adopted must be one of the following:

• An adult aged 18 to 21 who consents
• A current or former stepchild of the adopter
• A niece, nephew, cousin or grandchild of the adopter
• Someone placed in a foster parent's care as a juvenile, if the foster parent has kept a continuous family relationship with that person for five or more years

Adult adoption is done through a written adoption agreement that the court approves by decree. The adult adoptee must consent, and so must the spouse of either party if they are married and capable of consenting. A hearing is required, and both parties must appear in person unless an attorney with written authorization appears for someone unable to attend.

What to expect from the process.

• Cases are filed in the Superior Court in your county.
• Court filing fees typically run $200-$350, and the total cost is typically under $1,000, compared with $3,000-$5,000+ for an attorney.
• A stepparent adoption typically takes 4-8 months, and an adult adoption 2-3 months.
• A home study is waived for stepparent adoptions under A.R.S. § 8-105.
• If you need a certified copy of a birth certificate for your paperwork, the Arizona Office of Vital Records is the agency to contact.

If your situation involves a contested case, a parent whose whereabouts are unknown, or anything unusual about who is adopting, ask the Superior Court clerk in your county or an attorney about that specific issue.

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 (or for one adult adoptee) and $99 for each additional child. Court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We have helped 551 Arizona families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.