questions & answers

Question: My ex-husband wants to give up right to our kids .(I think so he wont have to pay child support)And asked if my current husband would adopt them. My question is how long is this process and how much would it cost IF I ever decided to go along with it?

Answer: For your current husband to legally adopt your children, he would have to file a petition of adoption through your local court. Contents of what to include in the petition can be found here: A.R.S. 8-109(A). Once the adoption petition has been filed, the clerk of the superior court shall schedule a court date for the hearing. The court will also send a notice to the children’s biological father to appear in court, as it is within his rights to object the order if desired, A.R.S. 8-111(4). If, after the hearing, the court determines that it is in the best interests of the children to be adopted by their stepfather, the court will make the adoption official. Adoption is a multi-faceted process and can take time; lengths of this process vary case to case. If the court believes that fees associated with the case would cause financial hardship and be detrimental to the welfare of the adoptive child, the court may waive or reduce fees to be paid, A.R.S. 8-122. If investigations are conducted by the court to study and survey potential the adoptive parent(s), the court may charge a reasonable fee; however, for the same reasons listed above, the court may choose to waive or reduce the fee, A.R.S. 8-133.