My ex husband signed all his right away when he was 1 & my current husband has been his father since then .My son is 15 & he does have his last name but need to get hubby on birth certificate & he wants to adopt him how hard will it be and how much would it cost/

My son is 15 & his biologic father signed all his right away when he was 1 & my current husband has been his father for 14 years. My son does have his last name & it is on birth certificate but the father who signed his rights away is still on his birth certificate. How hard will it be for my husband to adopt him? How much will it cost? We live in Texas

Stepparent adoption in Texas can be done Pro Se.
The parent giving up rights does not need to be notified by the court because within the Voluntary Relinquishment document the parent will waive their right for further notification.

Since this petition is for an uncontested adoption/termination you do not need to request an ad litem (with any case if a judge feels your child needs one, they will order it).


When you take all of your papers to the court house they will assign you a case number, you can hand write the number in the NO.________ given on your documents or the clerk can stamp each document with the same case #.

Make copies or pay for certified copies when you file.


So you have your check list of paperwork:
1)notarized Original Petition for adoption
2)notarized Section 152.209 affidavit
3)notarized Interstate Compact affidavit
4)notarized Voluntary Relinquishment
You may take all of these documents to the District Family .Court Office

EASY! Go to the court of administration, get the filling papers for adoption and a filing fee waiver. Where I am from the filing fee is about $450, however if you get the filing fee waiver paper, fill it out and they might waive your filing fee! Then you have to pay for a background check on your husband (it costed me $10). Also the biological father will need to sign in front of a notary (2 signatures). It will take about 3 months! It took me 3 months and $10. I went without a lawyer.

Vick--what state are you in?

Adoption laws vary by state.

In most cases, the biological father has to sign away his rights in COURT--a notary witness isn't enough.

To the OP (if you're still around after 4 months)--you need to talk to a lawyer to at least figure out what the laws in your state are.

You CAN do an adoption without a lawyer. You can also set a bone without a doctor. I wouldn't recommend either, though.

Mandy,
I would consult with a Family Law attorney in your area. They can tell you what you need to do to get an adoption approved.

I'm also wondering about your statement that your ex signed his rights away. Was this approved by a court? Only a court can terminate parental rights and they generally will not do so except under specific circumstances.

Edit: I found your other thread and merged them together. I see the other thread indicated where you are and you got a good answer from GV70.

EASY! go to the court of administration, get the filling papers for adoption and a filing fee waiver. Where I am from the filing fee is about $450, however if you get the filing fee waiver paper, fill it out and they might waive your filing fee! then you have to pay for a background check on your husband (it costed me $10). Also the biological father will need to sign in front of a notary (2 signatures). It will take about 3 months! It took me 3 months and $10. I went without a lawyer.


Not according to this - http://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Legacy/DHS-3206-ENG

I do note that you have posted that the father of one of your children wasn't involved - is this the same child?

Not according to this - http://edocs.dhs.state.mn.us/lfserver/Legacy/DHS-3206-ENG
It is about third parties adoption.Step-parent adoption is easier to be finalized than third party adoption. There is no requirement a step-parent to take home study for example.