What is the residency requirement for adoption in Nebraska?

Nebraska has no minimum residency period for a stepparent adoption. You don't have to live in the state for a set number of months before you file. The residency statute, Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-102, points you to the County Court of the county where you live.

What that means for you

• If you recently moved to Nebraska, you don't have to wait out a residency clock before filing.
• What matters is where you live now. You file in the County Court of your home county, and Nebraska has 93 counties, so the county you live in determines your court.
• Cities like Omaha, Lincoln, Bellevue, Grand Island and Kearney are each in a county with its own County Court clerk's office.

A related point to confirm

Nebraska's adoption statutes also contain a rule about how long a child must live with the petitioner before the court enters the final decree. That rule is separate from your own state residency. Because it depends on your family's situation, ask the County Court clerk in your county how it applies to you.

What residency doesn't decide

Residency is only one piece of a stepparent adoption. Other parts of your case depend on your facts:

• Consent: A child over age 14 is part of the consent picture under Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-104. The other parent's consent, or the steps needed if that parent won't or can't consent, depends on your situation.
• Abandonment: Nebraska uses a six-month period in Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-104(4)(b). Whether it applies to your case is a fact-specific question.
• Home study: Neb. Rev. Stat. § 43-107 waives it for stepparent adoptions.

If the other parent is missing, unwilling to consent, or contesting the adoption, talk with the County Court clerk or an attorney about that specific issue.

Timeline and cost

Stepparent adoptions in Nebraska typically take about 3-6 months from filing. Court filing fees generally run $100-$250, and the total typically comes to under $1,000. Attorney-handled adoptions often run $3,000-$5,000 or more.

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 Nebraska county. You then file it yourself without an attorney. The price is $349 for the first child and $99 for each additional child. Your court-ready documents arrive within 24-48 hours after you finish the questions, and we back them with a 100% court acceptance guarantee. We've helped 441 Nebraska families, and more than 34,000 families nationally since 2001.