Frequently Asked Questions and Support
Questions about: The Adoption Process
How long is the adoption process?
It usually takes 4 – 6 months, but the exact time is governed by the state where the adoption takes place.
Where do I go to file an adoption?
Adoptions are filed at the court in the county of your residence (unless there is a prior court of continuing jurisdiction).
What will happen at the hearing?
The Judge will ask some simple questions to determine if the adoption shall be granted or denied.
How does the Home Study work?
The Adoption Home Study is how the state determines if you are a good candidate to take a child into your home. An adoption case worker from a state accredited company, will evaluate your situation. The case worker will do a criminal background check, ask you for information about your finances and will often come into your home to evaluate the home environment
Questions about: Our Adoption Service
The cost of our MyAdoptionForms Service is only $349. The court costs are separate and paid when you file your adoption paperwork. We accept all major credit cards, PayPal, Bank Cashiers Checks, and Money Orders.
Our Processing Time
The forms take 2-3 business days or sooner to process, excluding weekends and holidays. Then they will be emailed to you.
Guarantee
We guarantee your money back in case the adoption forms get rejected by the judge and we can’t correct them for any reason.
How it works
When you order the service you will be asked to download and complete the adoption questionnaire as accurately as possible and submit it back to us by email, mail, or fax. Within about 2-3 days the forms will be ready for your review and approval. If necessary, submit any adjustments or changes you wish to make to the forms back to us. When you are satisfied with the forms; print, sign, and file them at the court house. You will receive a case number and a letter with a hearing date in the mail. Attend the hearing and meet with the judge. Once granted, your adoption is complete.
Do you represent me in the courtroom?
No we do not represent you or give any kind of legal advice. We are a non-lawyer service. The case is in your hands.
Questions about: General Information
Missing Biological Father
A Missing Biological Father does cause problems in a family. Therefore, if the birth mother wants total rights of the child, she can have them. The birth father is missing, so he usually won’t protest his parental rights being removed and placed solely upon the mother.
What if the Child isn't born yet?
You must always have a child be born first to use our My Adoption Forms Service. If the child is not born yet, then you will need to wait until he/she is born, then do your court documents with us.
How do I "Serve" the other party with Adoption Papers?
Waiver of service & Surrender of Parental Rights: allows an agreeable biological father to sign a waiver of the formalities of service of citation notifying him of your suit and voluntarily surrendering their parental rights.
Constable or Process Server: They actually go out to where the biological father lives or works and hands him the papers. The process server then completes a ‘return of citation’ showing that the biological father was personally handed the papers.
Certified mail: You would send a Certified letter through the mail, allowing the biological father to be notified (served) through the mail. You would send the Certified letter with delivery restricted to the biological father only. Once he has signed for the certified mail, the green card with his signature is returned to you as proof that he was served. You then send a copy to the Court to verify that “service of process” has been completed.
Service by Publication: allows cases to proceed even when the biological father cannot be found to be notified or even if his identity is unknown. A notice is run 1 time in the newspaper in the county where the adoption suit is filed as “service of process”. The case then proceeds just as if he had been personally notified.
What if we live in different states?
We can do your adoption even if you and the adoptee (person being adopted) live in different states. Unless the person is 18 or older, the birth parents have to give up their rights to the adoptee in their state first so that you can thereafter acquire those rights in your state. If the person is 18 or older, the first step will be unnecessary and the whole case becomes a standard adoption.
Criminal History Check
Most states now require a criminal history check to be completed on any person adopting a child. The adopting party simply goes by the county sheriff’s office and has a fingerprint card completed to be mailed to a state agency for a criminal history check. Some sheriff’s offices charge a nominal fee of $5-$10 for doing the fingerprint card, but most make no charge for taking the fingerprints.
Age of Consent for the Adoptive Child
The age of consent for most states is 10 years of age and over, therefore requiring children 10 years of age and over to sign and file a Consent Form with their adoption.
How many families can have custody over one Child
For adoption purposes, the rule in general is that only one family can have custody over a child. The process of adoption is what legally transfers custody and rights from one family to another.
Military Adoption
If one or both of the Spouses is in the Military when doing an adoption, one of the spouses must be present in the US to file the adoption paperwork at the local county courthouse. They must qualify for residency in the State where they are filing the adoption and must both undergo the criminal background check and the Home Study must also be done.
Can me and my partner adopt, if we are not legally married.
No; either you or your partner may adopt the child or adoptee, but not both. Most of the time, the courts don’t like creating a shared custody arrangement. It would be similar to a divorced couple situation.
