Location: Modern day New York within the last 15 years.
Hello fellow writers.
I can't seem to get a clear cut answer, so I thought I would come to you. I have two fraternal twins who are 15 years old.
They want to be adopted by their Mother's long time boyfriend preferably before the wedding the next year.
The mother is all for it and so are the paternal grandparents.
The children's father died in a car accident 18 months before.
The boyfriend is giving the twins a year to change their mind.
Assuming they don't, how long will the adoption process take.
I read 3-9 months in some sources and 1-2 years in others.
I appreciate your help.
I have two fraternal twins who are 15 years old
-
Lisa
A lawyer friend of mine handled the adoption of my son, pro bono, in a matter of days. The only requirement was that my husband and I had to meet for about 20 minutes with the judge who signed so she could be assured of our sincerity. This was Tallahassee, Florida but some years ago.
-
Vicki
My hubs adopted my youngest. It depends on the on how backed up the courts are. To be official you have to go infront of the judge which slows things down. But if everything goes smoothly it could be a couple months, baring any required waiting periods by the court. Ours took about a year.
-
Julie
I don't know about now but 50 years ago my mom's new husband adopted me and the process took 2 years. The reason it took so long is because my biological father abandoned me and we had to do a lot of things to give him the chance to contest the adoption. Of course he didn't and my Dad adopted me and is the only father I have ever known. He is my Dad and my hero!
-
Christy
I have gone through the process of adoption within the last ten years and know many many other people who have. The answer is that there is not a clear cut answer. You are right to specify the court system you need. You also might need to be pretty clear with your timeline, because adoption law and adoption policy changes dramatically.
If the boyfriend married the mother, it would be a relative adoption and fairly simple. That is probably within the 3-9 month timeline. If the boyfriend has not married the mother, it would probably depend on how the lawyer and the court viewed it. If it's not a family member adoption, it could take 6-9 months to collect all the paperwork and get things signed, if all the relatives in question are agreeable. No matter how many people agree, you still have to have an official home inspection, probably take parenting or certification classes, and go through all the steps in the state law. You have to finish one step before you can start the next one, and someone is always having a delay or having to reschedule.
The other thing that makes it faster is if the adopter is already certified as a foster care family. Some people go through the certification process before they start the adoption process. There would be no reason to do that in your story unless the boyfriend wanted to adopt other children.
Adoption courts are slow. I would say it is pretty standard, AFTER all the paperwork has been filed, everyone has agreed, and everything is logistically managed, to wait another 6-9 months for the final paperwork. In some states that is a quick appearance before a judge; in ours it is not, we just had to submit notarized documents and got them back a few weeks later. Remember, that's 6 months after everything is essentially official. I would not be surprised if NEw York is slower than average and the wait is more like 12 months after paperwork is complete. I would feel like it was realistic for the wait for the final paperwork was anywhere within 6-12 months.
If the twins start out 15 years old and need to wait, everyone concerned is going to be thinking about whether they are going to age out before the adoption is complete.
There are a LOT of steps involved in adoption and it takes a LOT of time. Make sure if someone is going through the process, you research it really thoroughly and include the pieces in your story, for instance who is preparing for the home visit and how do they feel about it.
If the boyfriend married the mother, it would be a relative adoption and fairly simple. That is probably within the 3-9 month timeline. If the boyfriend has not married the mother, it would probably depend on how the lawyer and the court viewed it. If it's not a family member adoption, it could take 6-9 months to collect all the paperwork and get things signed, if all the relatives in question are agreeable. No matter how many people agree, you still have to have an official home inspection, probably take parenting or certification classes, and go through all the steps in the state law. You have to finish one step before you can start the next one, and someone is always having a delay or having to reschedule.
The other thing that makes it faster is if the adopter is already certified as a foster care family. Some people go through the certification process before they start the adoption process. There would be no reason to do that in your story unless the boyfriend wanted to adopt other children.
Adoption courts are slow. I would say it is pretty standard, AFTER all the paperwork has been filed, everyone has agreed, and everything is logistically managed, to wait another 6-9 months for the final paperwork. In some states that is a quick appearance before a judge; in ours it is not, we just had to submit notarized documents and got them back a few weeks later. Remember, that's 6 months after everything is essentially official. I would not be surprised if NEw York is slower than average and the wait is more like 12 months after paperwork is complete. I would feel like it was realistic for the wait for the final paperwork was anywhere within 6-12 months.
If the twins start out 15 years old and need to wait, everyone concerned is going to be thinking about whether they are going to age out before the adoption is complete.
There are a LOT of steps involved in adoption and it takes a LOT of time. Make sure if someone is going through the process, you research it really thoroughly and include the pieces in your story, for instance who is preparing for the home visit and how do they feel about it.
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post