My new husband would like to adopt from children from a previous relationship, what is the proper procedure?

Question

I have three kids from a previous relationship who have no contact with their father. My new husband wants to adopt them as his own, so what is the process for us to do in order to make that happen?

Answer 1

Erinn's right - he has to relinquish all rights to the children. You'll need to talk to a lawyer who will write up the paperwork, and then have him sign it. Now, if you haven't seen him and you don't know where he is, there's a 90-day wait period (I think) where if he's not found by the lawyer within that time frame, your new husband can automatically adopt them. That's in Canada, but I believe it's similar in the US. Talk to a lawyer first and see what you can do, and if you know where he is then it's a moot point anyway.

Answer 2

First and foremost, their biological father must legally relinquish his parental rights. Usually, it is a simple process. He just has to sign paperwork. Then, you can proceed with the actual adoption process.

(Those are Georgia standards anyway)