California Adoption Guidance for Parents and Step-Parents

You have decided to marry the love of your life—but the marriage has blessed you with more than just your new spouse: you may already be a parental figure to your significant other’s children. Now, you’re ready to make your parental relationship official through adoption.

Or perhaps you’ve always wanted to adopt a child—even if you haven’t met him or her before—and are ready to take the first step to make it happen.

No matter which scenario applies to you, if you’re ready to adopt a child in San Diego, you don’t have to navigate this process alone. At the Law Office of Michael C. MacNeil, I can show you how to achieve your adoption dreams in the quickest and most efficient manner possible.

Why Adoption?

If you are a step parent, you can have a major influence on your stepchild’s life. But without an adoption, you lack the legal power to make decisions as well as the rights that legal parents have. With step parent adoption in California, all of the obligations and rights of parenthood will be conferred upon you.

In the same way, if you decide to adopt a child you’ve never met, you’ll have the power to make decisions on the child’s behalf, to his or her benefit. And by giving the child a permanent home that is loving and safe, you’ll be giving him or her one of the best gifts a child could receive.

How Step Parent Adoption Process Works in California

You must meet multiple requirements to adopt a child in San Diego and throughout California. For instance, as a general rule of thumb for adoption, you must be a decade older than the individual you’re adopting. In addition, you need to complete a criminal background check as well as undergo a home study. For step parent adoption, your eligibility for step parent adoption in San Diego is contingent upon you being married or registered as a domestic partner to the child’s birth parent, as well.

At the Law Office of Michael C. MacNeil, I can provide you with the legal advice, assistance, and representation you need to satisfactorily navigate this process. I will ensure you fulfill the California requirements for step parent adoption so that you can move forward with adopting your new child in San Diego. Get a consultation with me to learn more about how I make sure your legal status reflects your emotional connection to your future son or daughter.