What if the biological parent is deceased in Hawaii?

If the biological parent is deceased, the stepparent adoption process in Hawaii is simplified because there is no need for consent or abandonment proceedings.

What's needed:

• A certified copy of the death certificate
• The standard adoption petition filed in Family Court
• Background check for the adopting stepparent

No service of process is needed on a deceased parent, so the timeline is often shorter — typically on the faster end of 3-6 months.

We include the appropriate documents for this situation in your package. Just indicate this on the questionnaire and we'll prepare everything accordingly.

Cost: Same $349 — and total costs may be lower since you won't have service of process expenses.