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

In Hawaii, you must be an "adult" to adopt, but the adoption statute does not state a specific number of years. HRS § 578-1 allows a petition from "any unmarried adult person, person married to the legal birthing parent or non-birthing parent of a minor child, or married couple jointly." If you want to know the exact age that counts as an adult for filing, the Family Court clerk in your county can confirm it.

Who can file as a stepparent. If you are married to your child's legal birthing parent or non-birthing parent, HRS § 578-1 lets you petition. You and your spouse can also file together as a married couple.

Age gap. The Hawaii adoption provisions we work from state no required age difference between you and the child. If you have a specific question about an age difference, ask the Family Court clerk or an attorney.

Other requirements. Age is only one part of the process.

• Court: Your petition is filed in the Family Court. Hawaii has 4 counties, and the clerk in your county can explain local filing details.
• Residency: Hawaii sets no minimum residency period before you can file (HRS § 578-1).
• Child's consent: A child who is 10 or older must consent to the adoption (HRS § 578-2).
• Home study: Hawaii does not waive the home study for stepparent adoptions (HRS § 578-8). Plan for this step.
• Timeline: A stepparent adoption in Hawaii typically takes 3-6 months.

If your situation is more complicated. Questions about the other biological parent, such as whether they will consent, cannot be found, or will contest the adoption, depend on the facts of your family. For those issues, talk to the Family Court clerk or an attorney who can look at your specific circumstances.

Where to start. Gather your marriage certificate, your child's birth certificate, and basic information about the child's other parent. Then work out which Family Court handles your county, whether you live in or near Honolulu, Hilo, Kailua, Kapolei, Pearl City, or elsewhere.

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 cost is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. Your 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 266 Hawaii families, and more than 34,000 families nationwide since 2001.