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

In Maine, the adoption statute does not set a minimum age for the person adopting. The law that governs who may petition, 18-C M.R.S. § 9-301, allows "spouses or unmarried persons jointly or an unmarried person" to petition, and it names no age. It also states no required age gap between the adopter and the person being adopted. If you want to be sure nothing else applies to your situation, the Probate Court clerk in your county can confirm.

What the law does say about who can file:

• Maine's statute lets a petition be filed to adopt a person "regardless of age," so adults can be adopted as well as children. No relationship, disability or age-gap condition is stated for adult adoption.
• A petitioner may be a resident or nonresident of the State. Maine has no minimum residency period (18-C M.R.S. § 9-301).
• A married adopter petitions jointly with their spouse.

Where you file: The Probate Court handles adoption petitions in Maine. Maine has 16 counties, and your petition is filed in the county where the child (or adoptee) or the petitioners live, when no agency placed the child. Filing fees vary, so ask the clerk in your county for the current amount.

Age matters more for the person being adopted:

• Consent at 12 or older. A child who is 12 or older must consent to the adoption (18-C M.R.S. § 9-302).
• Adult adoptees. When the person being adopted is 18 or older, their parents do not need to consent. The adult adoptee's own consent is required.
• Home study. For stepparent adoptions, Maine waives the home study (18-C M.R.S. § 9-304). For an adult adoption, it is not required, because the study and background-check requirement applies to petitions to adopt a minor child.
• Hearing. In an adult adoption, the decree can be granted if the petitioner "has been heard or has waived hearing," so a hearing may be waived.

Timeline: A stepparent adoption in Maine typically takes 3-6 months, and an adult adoption 4-8 weeks.

When to get more help: If the other biological parent is unknown, is contesting the adoption, or hasn't been in the picture, the steps depend on your facts. For those questions, talk to the Probate Court clerk or an attorney who can look at your specific 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 (or for one adult adoptee) and $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 nationwide since 2001.