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We live in Iowa, and need some help in finding out how to get the process of step-parent adoption going. ( or help through the whole thing.) My husband would like to adopt my first child. Her birth certificate has no fathers name on it. And in actuallity, I have no clue where her birth father is. My husband and I have been together since she was 8 months old, and she has never seen her birth father after that. Please give any info you can, and thank you.
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Well I'm in California so I'm not sure if this will help but here goes. If you can use a lawyer they can smooth the way but essentially in California you can do it yourself by getting the step parent adoption papers from any local court filling them out, paying the filing fees and wait. The Sherriff dept sends someone out to investigate you to make sure the adopting parent is "fit" and investigates your record. Then there is a hearing with a Judge who can make a determination right there, then you can have new birth certificates issued which put in the adoptive parent's name as the new birth parent and can do a name change within the process saving money on applying for a separate name change. All this takes time but the system seemed to work.
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Just to add to filing your own step-parent adoption ppwk in case you cannot afford an attourney. In the state of CO there is a website you may go to that gives you a step-by-step and you may download all of the files needed, as long as you do your homework you should be able to file with no hassle an adoption based on the abandonment of the birthchild. I am no lawyer but I know that you have the right to file without one if at all possible.