What is an abandonment affidavit for adoption in Wyoming?

In Wyoming, an abandonment affidavit is a written statement, made under oath, in which you or your spouse lay out the facts about the other biological parent's absence from the child's life. It gives the District Court a clear, factual record when the stepparent adoption goes forward without that parent's agreement.

What Wyoming looks at: Abandonment is addressed in Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-110. Wyoming sets no fixed number of months, so there is no magic waiting period. Abandonment depends on the parent's overall conduct. That is why the details in your affidavit matter more than a single date on a calendar.

What a strong affidavit usually covers:

• Contact history: when the parent last saw, called or wrote to the child, and what contact (if any) has happened since.
• Pattern of conduct: the parent's involvement over time, not just one moment, since the court looks at the whole picture.
• Support: whether the parent has helped provide for the child, described factually.
• Your efforts: any attempts you or your spouse made to keep the parent involved, such as messages, invitations or visits offered.
• Specifics: dates, places and how things were communicated. Clear, honest, concrete statements are more useful to a judge than general ones.

Who prepares and signs it: The affidavit is generally written by someone with firsthand knowledge, which is often your spouse, the child's parent. A stepparent can sometimes add a supporting statement. Because it is made under oath, accuracy matters. Say only what you know to be true.

How it fits into the case: Your adoption petition is filed in the District Court in your county. The adopting stepparent must have lived in Wyoming for the 60 days immediately before filing (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-103). If the child is 14 or older, the child's own consent is part of the process (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-109). Wyoming waives the home study (Wyo. Stat. § 1-22-111(a)(ii)). Stepparent adoptions here typically take about 3-6 months.

Where facts matter: Whether abandonment is established in your situation depends on your specific facts and on the judge's view of the parent's conduct. If the other parent plans to contest, or if you do not know where the parent is, talk with an attorney about that issue. The District Court clerk in your county can tell you about local filing details, including fees and any format the court prefers for affidavits.

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, with the affidavit drafted from your answers. You then file it yourself, without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. Court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and our 100% court acceptance guarantee backs the package. We have helped 191 Wyoming families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.