What is an abandonment affidavit for adoption in Connecticut?

In Connecticut, an abandonment affidavit is a sworn written statement, usually from the parent who has custody of the child, that describes in detail how the other biological parent has been absent from the child's life. In a stepparent adoption, it is how you put that history in front of the Probate Court.

No fixed number of months. Connecticut does not set a required number of months for abandonment. The abandonment statute, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 45a-717, looks at the parent's overall conduct instead. Your affidavit should therefore tell the whole story, not just count the time since the last visit.

What people typically describe in the affidavit:

• The date and nature of the last contact between the other parent and the child
• What the absence has looked like: visits, calls, cards, messages, or the lack of them
• Whether the parent has provided financial support, and when
• Any efforts you or your spouse made to keep the door open or arrange contact
• Your own first-hand account of the parent's involvement, or lack of it, over the years

Who is involved. Your spouse, the child's parent, is the natural person to give this account because they have first-hand knowledge. Whether the court also wants a supporting statement from you, and how the affidavit must be signed or notarized, is something the Probate Court clerk in your county can confirm.

Why details matter. Because Connecticut looks at overall conduct, specific and honest statements are more useful than general ones. Dates, places, and what actually happened tell the story better than "he was never around." Stick to what you know firsthand, and do not overstate anything.

When your situation is less simple. If the other parent is likely to contest the adoption, if you do not know where they are, or if the history is mixed, with some contact and some gaps, the way these facts apply is specific to your case. For those questions, speak with the Probate Court clerk about procedure or with a Connecticut family attorney about your particular facts.

Timing. Connecticut stepparent adoptions typically take about 3-6 months. The Probate Court handles the case, and the clerk can tell you about local scheduling and filing fees.

How we help. StepParent Adoption 360 is a document preparation service, not a law firm. You answer questions online, including the details about the other parent's absence, 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, plus $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 158 Connecticut families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.