In Part II, I discussed one of the most important steps in a stepparent adoption – Notifying the absent non-custodial parent of the adoption. There are some exceptions to this, but you will need to speak with an experienced adoption attorney regarding your specific situation.

After the biological father is notified of the adoption, he may need to agree to the adoption depending on the type of father the law sees him as. Nebraska law treats biological fathers differently depending on several factors which I will discuss more in detail in another blog post.

Once the biological father or mother agrees to the adoption and signs the required adoption papers, then you are free to finalize the adoption of your stepchild before a judge. The stepfather/mother must undergo background checks.

Although this is the general flow of a stepparent adoption, every situation is different and could require several more steps to ensure that all the appropriate legal action has been taken to finalize the adoption correctly.

If you are ready to begin the stepparent adoption process today, click here to begin.

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.

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: This site is for informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice. If you are in need of legal advice, please consult an attorney directly through the site’s contact page to be put in touch with an attorney that can inform you on your legal options. Neither viewing this website nor submitting information through the contact page forms or creates an attorney-client relationship, and no such relationship will be formed without express written agreement. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an attorney-client relationship has been established. Information on this website may be classified as an advertisement pursuant to local rules.