DelawareStepparent & Adult Adoption

No — over 80% of the 34,000+ adoptions we have helped families complete were finalized without the other parent's consent. If the biological parent has abandoned the child — meaning no meaningful contact for the period defined by your state's law (typically 6-12 months) — the court will approve the adoption without their consent. The court is very familiar with this and wants the child to have the unity and security of a two-parent home.

Filing fees in Texas for stepparent adoption typically range from **$250 to $350**, depending on the specific county where you're filing.

For example:

- Harris County (Houston) is usually around $280

- Dallas County is typically $300-$350

- Travis County (Austin) is around $250

**Total costs to budget for the entire adoption:**

Beyond the filing fee, you'll also have:

- **Our service:** $349 for one child, $95 for each additional child

- **Service of process:** ~$50 (if the other parent needs to be served)

- **Background check:** $50-$100

- **Home study:** Often waived in Texas for uncontested stepparent adoptions, but if required, typically $300-$400

**Total estimated cost: $650-$850** to complete your adoption from start to finish.

Compare that to hiring an attorney, which typically costs **$3,000-$5,000+** for an uncontested stepparent adoption in Texas.

We help more families complete their adoptions in Texas than any other state — the process is fairly straightforward, and Texas courts are very familiar with stepparent adoptions. The timeline is typically about 3 months once you file.

Is there anything else about the costs or process in Texas I can help explain?

# Adult Adoption — Simple, Fast, and Beautiful

Adult adoption allows a stepparent to legally adopt an adult stepchild (age 18+). It's one of the most straightforward and meaningful adoptions you can complete.

## Why It's So Simple

**No consent from the other biological parent needed** — the adoptee is an adult, so only they need to consent. The other parent isn't involved at all.

**No home study required** — you skip the entire investigation process.

**No background check required** — not needed for adult adoptions.

**Fast timeline** — typically finalizes in **4–6 weeks** (sometimes as quickly as 3 weeks in some states).

## What Adult Adoption Creates

A full, legal parent-child relationship with **all the same rights** as if the adoptee had been born to you:

- **Inheritance rights** — the adoptee becomes your legal heir

- **Medical decision-making** — full next-of-kin status

- **Legal family bond** — recognized in every state

- **New birth certificate** — listing you as the parent

## Who Can Be Adopted

**Any adult, age 18+.** There's no upper age limit. We've helped families where someone in their 80s adopted someone in their 60s. The relationship is what matters, not the age.

## What We Provide — $349

All the court documents you need, customized for your state and county:

- Petition for Adoption

- Consent of Adoptee

- Consent of Spouse (if applicable)

- Order of Adoption

- New birth certificate application

- Step-by-step filing instructions

**Delivered within 24 hours** of submitting your questionnaire. **Unlimited revisions** and **unlimited email support**. **100% court acceptance guarantee.**

## Common Reasons Families Choose Adult Adoption

- **Formalizing a lifelong bond** — "You've been my real parent since I was young"

- **Inheritance and estate planning** — ensuring the adult child is legally recognized

- **Medical and end-of-life decisions** — securing next-of-kin status

- **Immigration purposes** (in some cases)

- **Simply making it official** — the relationship has always been there, now the law reflects it

## Ready to Start?

The questionnaire takes about 10 minutes: **[stepparentadoption360.com/questionnaire](https://stepparentadoption360.com/questionnaire)**

Or if you have questions first, I'm here to help. What would you like to know?

This is **very common** and not a problem at all. Many of the adoptions we help families complete involve a parent whose location is unknown.

When you can't find the other parent, they're served through something called **"service by publication"** — basically, a legal notice published in a newspaper (usually where they last lived or where the child lives). This is a standard, court-approved way to notify someone when their whereabouts are unknown.

Here's what makes this process fairly straightforward:

**We include all the publication documents** in your package. You'll get:

- The affidavit proving you made reasonable efforts to find them

- The motion requesting publication service

- The notice itself that gets published

- Step-by-step instructions for everything

**The process typically works like this:**

1. You document your search efforts (checked social media, asked family members, searched online, etc.)

2. File a motion with the court requesting permission to serve by publication

3. The court approves it

4. You publish the notice (usually just once, in most states)

5. After the required waiting period (typically 30-35 days), the adoption proceeds

The court is **completely familiar** with this situation and handles it regularly. Once they see you made reasonable efforts and proper publication was done, they move forward with the adoption.

**Don't worry** — not knowing where the other parent is doesn't stop the adoption. It actually happens in a significant percentage of the cases we handle. The court wants your child to have the security of a two-parent home.

Is the other parent's location unknown in your situation?

Perfect — knowing where the other parent is actually makes the service process more straightforward (even though it might feel a bit awkward to have to notify them).

**Here's what will happen:**

Since you know their location, they'll be served by **certified mail** or **sheriff's service** (depending on what your county requires — our instructions will specify). This is just a legal formality to notify them that the adoption is proceeding.

**Important points:**

- **They can't stop it.** Being notified doesn't give them power to block the adoption. The 6+ years of abandonment means their consent isn't required.

- **They might not respond at all.** Most don't. If they do respond and object, the court will still proceed based on the abandonment — the judge will see they had no contact since 2018.

- **This is standard procedure.** Every adoption requires proper legal service. It's not optional, but it's also not complicated.

**The timeline once you file:**

1. You file the petition with the court

2. Other parent gets served (usually takes 1-2 weeks)

3. Background check gets processed (3-4 weeks)

4. Court schedules your final hearing (usually 2-3 months out)

5. Judge finalizes the adoption at the hearing

Total time: **about 3 months** from filing to finalization.

**Ready to get started?** The questionnaire at stepparentadoption360.com/questionnaire will ask for the other parent's last known address. If it's changed since 2018, just put what you know — if service fails at that address, we can then proceed with publication (newspaper notice).

**Any other questions about the process or what to expect?**

**This is excellent news for your adoption — you're in a very strong position.**

If the other parent has been out of contact since **October 2018** (over 6 years ago) and also refused to consent, the court will absolutely proceed with the adoption without their consent. You're way past Colorado's 12-month abandonment requirement.

**Here's what this means:**

- **No consent needed.** The other parent's refusal to consent is irrelevant at this point. They've abandoned the child by failing to maintain contact for over 6 years.

- **Very common scenario.** This is one of the most straightforward situations we handle — long-term absence with clear abandonment.

- **The court expects this.** Colorado judges finalize these adoptions regularly. They want your child to have two legal parents.

**What happens next:**

When you file the adoption petition, the other parent will need to be **served** with notice (legal requirement). If you know where they are, service happens by certified mail or sheriff. If you don't know where they are, we help you serve them by **publication** (legal notice in a newspaper) — this is very common and fairly simple.

Once they're properly served, the court proceeds with the adoption. Their refusal to consent doesn't stop anything when there's clear abandonment like this.

**Your documents will include:**

- Abandonment affidavit (showing the 6+ years of no contact)

- All required adoption forms customized for your Colorado county

- Instructions for serving the other parent

- Everything you need for the hearing

**When you're ready to move forward**, you can start at stepparentadoption360.com/questionnaire — it takes about 15 minutes, and we'll have your documents ready within 24 hours. Cost is $349, and the whole process typically takes about 3 months once you file with the court.

Do you know the other parent's current location, or is their whereabouts unknown?

**You do not need the other parent to voluntarily terminate their rights.** This is one of the biggest misconceptions about stepparent adoption, and I'm glad you asked.

Here's the reality: **Over 80% of the 34,000+ adoptions we've helped families complete were finalized WITHOUT the other parent's consent.** The court completes these adoptions all the time.

## How It Works

If the other parent has **abandoned the child** — meaning they've failed to maintain meaningful contact for the required period — the court can terminate their rights involuntarily and approve the adoption. **In Indiana specifically, you have three separate grounds:**

1. **Abandonment/desertion for 6 months**

2. **Failure to communicate for 1 year**

3. **Failure to support for 1 year**

You only need to prove ONE of these.

**Important:** "Token contact" like an occasional phone call or one visit does NOT count as maintaining a parental relationship. The court looks at whether they've truly been an active parent in the child's life.

Also, **paying child support does NOT prevent the adoption.** Abandonment is about the *relationship* with the child, not payments. Many parents pay support (especially if military or to keep their job) but have zero parental contact — the court can still find abandonment.

## What the Court Cares About

The court wants the child to have the **unity and security of a two-parent home.** When one parent has been absent and your spouse has been filling that parental role, the court is very receptive to approving the adoption without the absent parent's cooperation.

**Don't worry** — the Indiana courts are very familiar with completing stepparent adoptions when the other parent refuses to cooperate. This is extremely common and the court handles it regularly.

Does this help clarify things? Do you want to tell me a bit more about your specific situation — like how long it's been since the other parent had meaningful contact?

Great question! Here's the full cost breakdown:

**Our service: $349 for the first child, $95 for each additional child**

This includes all your court documents customized for your specific county in Indiana, step-by-step instructions, unlimited email support, and unlimited form revisions. We guarantee 100% court acceptance.

**Court and related costs (approximate):**

- **Filing fee:** ~$170 in Indiana ($20 adoption history + $50 putative father registry check + $100 clerk fee). Some courts may waive this for financial hardship.

- **Service of process:** ~$50 (usually served by sheriff)

- **Background check:** Required for the stepparent — results come back in 3-4 weeks

- **Home study:** Often waived for stepparent adoptions in Indiana, but the criminal history check cannot be waived even when the home study is

**Total cost with us: Approximately $650-$850** depending on your specific county and whether a home study is required.

**Compare that to hiring an attorney:** $2,500-$5,000+ for even an uncontested stepparent adoption.

Over 34,000 families have saved thousands by using our service and doing the leg work themselves (filing documents, attending hearings). We guide you through every step — you just save the attorney fees by handling the filing and court appearance yourself.

**Any questions about what's included or the process?** Happy to walk you through it!

**Incarceration does NOT prevent the adoption from moving forward** — but how it affects the case depends on a few factors.

Here's what you need to know:

## If They've Had No Meaningful Contact

If the other parent has been incarcerated and **failed to maintain a meaningful relationship** with the child for **6+ months** (Virginia's abandonment period), the adoption can proceed without their consent based on abandonment.

**Key point:** Being in prison is **not an automatic excuse** for abandonment. Parents can maintain contact from prison through:

- Regular letters

- Phone calls

- Visits (if you allowed them)

- Asking about the child's welfare

If they made **no effort** to stay connected despite being able to write letters or call, that's still abandonment.

## If They've Maintained Contact From Prison

If the incarcerated parent has been writing regularly, calling, or maintaining a real relationship with the child, then their consent would typically be required. However, you can still approach them about consenting to the adoption — many incarcerated parents recognize that the child deserves stability and will consent.

## How Service Works

The incarcerated parent must still be served with the adoption paperwork. If you know which facility they're in, service is actually easier than when someone's whereabouts are unknown — the papers are served directly to the prison.

## Virginia Courts Understand This

Virginia family courts see incarceration cases regularly. They look at whether the parent made **reasonable efforts** to maintain the relationship given their circumstances.

**What's been the situation in your case?** Has the incarcerated parent been in contact with the child, or has there been no communication?

**Adoption Day is one of the most meaningful milestones your family will ever celebrate.** Here are ideas from families who've been through it:

**At the courthouse:**

- Bring family and friends to the hearing (most courts allow observers)

- Take lots of photos — many judges pose with families

- Bring balloons or a small celebration for after the hearing

- Some families wear matching outfits

- Give the child a special gift commemorating the day

**Celebration ideas:**

- Family dinner at the child's favorite restaurant

- Cake with the adoption date

- Plant a tree together symbolizing growing roots

- Create a family scrapbook page

- Get family portraits done professionally

**Annual traditions:**

- Celebrate Adoption Day every year like a birthday

- "Family Day" with the child's choice of activity

- Write a letter to the child each year about what you're grateful for

- Look at photos from the original court day

**Gifts ideas for the child:**

- A locket or bracelet with the adoption date

- A book about adoption

- A framed copy of the adoption order

- A stuffed animal from the day (younger children)

This day represents something beautiful — love made official. Make it memorable.

**Start the journey:** stepparentadoption360.com/questionnaire | **(855) 924-0450**