Adult Adoption in California

Adult adoption is a very straight-forward process in California and a good solution to several common family situations. Sometimes, a stepparent wishes to formalize a stepparent-child relationship, even though the child is no longer a child. Our office regularly handles adult adoptions for young adults who weren’t formally adopted as minors; perhaps their biological parent was unwilling to consent to the adoption by a stepparent or they just never got around to it. Once a child turns 18, the consent of their biological parent or parents is no longer required for an adoption and, by proceeding with an adult adoption, they can complete the process quickly and without any home study or investigation. We’ve also done adult adoptions for international adoptees who just never got around to doing a readoption while still a minor. Again, the adult adoption is a fast, effective solution to this. Adult adoption, however, may not be used solely as an attempt to circumvent immigration laws, nor is it effective in doing so. Each county’s adult adoption forms and requirements differ slightly, but in all counties all that is required is the written consent of the adopting parent and proposed adoptee and their spouses. Following the adoption, a new birth certificate will be issued with the new parent’s name as father or mother and he or she will assume the legal relationship of parent and child.

Our office would love to talk with you more about your specific situation to determine if adult adoption is the right solution for you.