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

Indiana's stepparent adoption provisions don't list a specific minimum age for the adopting stepparent, so the Circuit or Superior Court clerk in your county is the best place to confirm whether any age requirement applies to you. Here is what Indiana does set out that relates to age.

Your age as the adopting stepparent: No minimum age, and no required age gap between you and your stepchild, is stated in the Indiana provisions we work from. Because that point isn't spelled out, check with the clerk or an attorney before you file, especially if you are very young or your stepchild is close to your age.

Residency: Indiana has no minimum residency period before you can file (Ind. Code § 31-19-2-2). Age and length of time living in the state are separate questions, and the second one is simple here.

Your stepchild's age and consent: A child who is 14 or older has a role in the process, because Indiana sets a child consent age of 14 (Ind. Code § 31-19-9-1). If your stepchild is under 14, that consent requirement doesn't apply in the same way.

If you are adopting an adult: Indiana permits adult adoption. The person being adopted must be at least 18, and the person adopting must be an Indiana resident (IC 31-19-2-1). Other points include:

• The adult adoptee's consent must be acknowledged in open court.
• The case is filed in a court with probate jurisdiction in any Indiana county.
• The court may order an investigation like the one in a child adoption, or any other inquiry it considers advisable.
• No minimum residency duration is stated.

Other points that often come up:

• Indiana doesn't set a minimum length of marriage, though courts want to see a stable relationship.
• Stepparent adoptions in Indiana are filed in the Circuit or Superior Court in one of the state's 92 counties.
• The typical timeline is 3-6 months for a child stepparent adoption and 4-8 weeks for an adult adoption.
• Court filing fees typically run $200-$500.

Whether a particular age situation could cause trouble in your case depends on your facts. For that specific question, the court clerk or an Indiana family law attorney can give you a reliable answer.

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 Indiana 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 1207 Indiana families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.