Florida Adoption Form

Check out your state adoption laws. Contact the court in your county that handles adoptions. Obtain required legal forms. Submit required legal paperwork. Await notification of a court hearing date. Appear at the hearing. Finalize the adoption. Apply for amended birth certificates.

In Florida, any single adult can petition to adopt an adult, or a married couple must petition jointly. LGBT couples and stepparents can adopt their spouse's child through a stepparent adoption if they're under 18, or an adult adoption if they're 18 or older, to establish the same legal parental rights as their spouse.

It would be best to budget between $25 and $50 for certified copies. There is also a fee to obtain a new birth certificate for your child after your stepparent adoption has been granted. The fees for each state are different, but the average is about $25.

Answer The answer varies. The process to become an approved adoptive parent includes attending a preparation course of ten weeks, obtaining local, state and federal background checks, MAPP/PRIDE training, current physical exam, and completion of a home study. The process can usually be completed in eight months.

While private forms of adoption can cost upwards of $30,000, adopting one of Florida's children from foster care costs little or nothing. The required adoptive parent training class and home study are provided free of charge, and even court costs and fees can be paid by the agency if the family cannot afford them.

1. Call. If you already have an approved home study and a specific child in mind, you can call Florida's Adoption Information Center at 1-800-96-ADOPT or 1-904-353-0679 to learn about the adoption worker in your area who can help you start the adoption process.