STEPPARENT ADOPTIONS

In Minnesota, adoption is a juvenile court proceeding put in place to serve the best interests and needs of a child. Adoptions can take place through agencies, private parties, and stepparents.

Often a stepparent adoption proceeds with the consent of a biological parent.  However, consent is not always required if a biological parent has physically, emotionally, and financially abandoned the child and cannot be found. Before a stepparent adoption can proceed, there are some requirements that must be met:

1. The adoptive stepparent and spouse must have lived in the State of Minnesota for at least one year;
2. The adoptive stepparent and spouse must have been married for at least one year;
3. The child, if over 14 years of age, must consent to the adoption;
4. The adoptive stepparent and spouse must consent to a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension background check; and
5. The adoptive stepparent and spouse must submit to a home-study, unless waived by the Commissioner of Human Services.

An uncontested stepparent adoption generally takes 4-5 months to complete, but also depends upon other factors, such as the county in which the proceeding takes place, whether the adoptive stepparent has a criminal history, and whether the home-study has been waived. 

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