My teenager wants to be adopted — how do we handle their consent in Arkansas?

In Arkansas, a teenager who is 12 or older gives formal consent to their own adoption, so a teen who wants to be adopted is meeting that requirement. The child consent age is 12 under A.C.A. § 9-9-206. Your teen's consent is a signed part of the court paperwork, not just a conversation at home.

How it works for a minor teen

• The consent is filed along with the rest of your petition in the Circuit Court in your county.
• Your teen's consent is one piece of the package. Other consents, or grounds for waiving them, are also part of the filing, along with the spouse's consent to the adoption.
• Whether your teen will be asked to attend the hearing or speak to the judge can vary, so ask the Circuit Court clerk in your county what to expect.

If your teen is 18

An adult is anyone who is not a minor, and a minor is under 18. At 18, your teen would be adopted as an adult. Arkansas says "any individual may be adopted" (A.C.A. § 9-9-203). An adult adoption needs the written consent of the adult and the adult's spouse, if there is one. The petitioner and the person being adopted must appear at the hearing unless the court excuses either one for good cause. Adult adoptions typically take 4-8 weeks, compared with 3-6 months for a stepparent adoption of a minor.

The other parent

Your teen's wishes are only part of the picture. If the other legal parent is involved, or if their location or consent is uncertain, how that is handled depends on your specific facts. Arkansas has a 12-month abandonment period (A.C.A. § 9-9-207), but whether it applies to your family is a question for an attorney or the court clerk, not something to assume.

Other Arkansas details that matter to you

• A home study is waived for stepparent adoption (A.C.A. § 9-9-212).
• Court filing fees typically run $150-$300, and the total cost is typically under $1,000. Attorney-handled adoptions often run $3,000-$5,000+.
• If you want your teen's name changed as part of the adoption, ask the clerk how to request that in your county.

Making it meaningful for your teen

You can involve them in the process. Let them read the consent form, ask questions about what adoption means, and talk about how they'd like to mark the day. This is also a good time to make sure they're signing because they want to, not because they feel pressure. After the decree, you can request an updated birth certificate through the Arkansas Department of Health Vital Records.

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, including the consent forms. You then file it yourself without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child, and your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions. We back this with a 100% court acceptance guarantee, and we've helped 814 Arkansas families, and 34,000+ families nationally since 2001.