Adopting an adult is a little bit different than adopting a minor. Here are some of the main components of a successful adult adoption.
Legitimate Reasons
Your reasons for adopting another adult will likely be asked when you sign up for adult adoption paperwork. There are many legitimate reasons to go this route. One is if the adult in question has a mental or physical disability and is incapable of making their own decisions. Adopting that adult would allow the new parent to make choices about their medical care, housing, and finances.
Another reason to adopt an adult would be to make it easier for that person to inherit a share of your assets. Children have natural rights to those assets, should something happen to the parent.
Another reason is more about the emotional resonance of adoption. If you have had a parent-child relationship with this person without actually being their biological parent, it may be a positive experience to make that connection legal.
A Few Restrictions
There are different restrictions against adoption that vary by state. But two taboos that apply in most states are that romantic partners may not adopt each other, and the new parent must be older than the new adopted child for the paperwork to go through.
Both Parties Must Understand What's at Stake
Becoming an adopted parent isn't just a nice gesture. It gives the child legal rights to inherit assets. It gives the parent many legal responsibilities for the child. It can affect legal rights for state residency and university tuition as well, if those matter to you. Discuss with your family attorney to make sure that both the child and parent understand what all of the implications of adoption are.
The Legal Process
The legal process itself will be mostly taken care of by your family attorney. They will be in charge of doing the paperwork, collecting signatures, and getting the adoption approved. It will likely mean that the child needs to get their new birth certificate and possibly a new ID card, if their name has changed. While adult name changes for an adopted adult are uncommon, it is possible to do in conjunction with the adult adoption.
Overall, the process will cost a few thousand dollars and take several months to complete, which is a small price to pay to formalize a family bond with another person in the eyes of the law. To learn more about the process, contact a firm like Hawkins Bingham & Miller.
