One of the most common questions I get asked is “Can you adopt an adult?”. It may seem strange to a lot of people, but in Nebraska, an adult may be adopted by another adult, so long as all of the statutory requirements are met.

Whether it is the 21 year old young woman who wants her stepmother to adopt her, or the stepfather who just never got around to adopting his stepchild and desires to do so after he/she has become an adult, there are various scenarios in which an adult may adopt another adult in Nebraska.

I have recently had a flurry of stepparents who have waited years to adopt their stepchild. Some have waited until after their stepchild became an adult because the other noncustodial biological parent was against the adoption; others have waited because they were not sure if their stepchild would want to be adopted by them. I have also met with adult stepchildren who love their stepparents dearly and want to be adopted by them. It is a beautiful thing to see and be a part of and I feel so honored to be able to help families with this process.

For an adult adoption to take place, the noncustodial biological parent needs to consent to the adoption even though the child is now an adult. I know what you are thinking right now. WHAT?!? Yes, this is required by law unless the parent is deceased or his/her rights have already been terminated. The noncustodial biological parent’s consent to the adoption is necessary because that parent’s rights are intact until one of the following happens: 1) he/she relinquishes those rights, 2) the Court terminates those rights or 3) the Court determines that their consent to the adoption is not required.

For more information on the adoption process of an adult in your life, please contact Bundy Law at 402-235-1112 or click here.

Bundy Law LLC specializes in adoptions, including step-parent adoptions, domestic adoptions, “re-adoption” for international adoptions, representation for birth mothers, representation for birth parents, relative adoptions, adult adoptions and foster care adoptions.

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