My fiancée would like to adopt my(our) daughter,Her biological father is not and has not ever been in her life,however he lives a street away and would not give his permision.He is not on the birth certificate.really need to know how we go ahead with it please let us know.:o

If he won't give his permission there is very little you can do.

Does he pay support? If not, go to court and get that started. Not having to pay support encourages a lot of loser fathers to allow an adoption.

Also, you are going to need to be married first. Many states say you need to be married at least a year. Check with your local laws regarding stepparent adoptions.

Not being on the birth certificate, doesn't matter in this case. Before approving an adoption the Family court usually wants to make sure the parents are agreeable. So you would have to identify any potential father to the court.

If the bio dad has not been designated the legal father at this time, he will have to be.

And also, as noted, most states require that a couple be married before approving the adoption.

So the bottom line is you need an attorney to prepare the paperwork. So start shopping around for one.

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Originally Posted by ScottGem

Not being on the birth certificate, doesn't matter in this case. Before approving an adoption the Family court usually wants to make sure the parents are agreeable. So you would have to identify any potential father to the court.

If the bio dad has not been designated the legal father at this time, he will have to be.

And also, as noted, most states require that a couple be married before approving the adoption.

So the bottom line is you need an attorney to prepare the paperwork. So start shopping around for one.

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Thank you for your answers,Im actually in the uk our laws are different and have just contacted my local social services,They have informed me as long as we have lived together for 6 mnts marriage doesn't matter,paper work on its way.And the good bit to is I need no legal representative but the discission is up to the courts so fingers crossed.;)

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Originally Posted by melissaandste

Thankyou for your answers,Im actually in the uk our laws are different and have just contacted my local social services,They have informed me as long as we have lived together for 6 mnts marriage dosent matter,paper work on its way.And the good bit to is i need no legal representative but the discission is up to the courts so fingers crossed.;)

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This is why its important to at least include a general location in your profile. Since this site is international, but primarily American, we tend to answer with info based on what is true in the US.

I would still caution against doing this without legal representation. Adoption can be a complex process and you want to make sure all the paperwork is done properly so that there is no problems in the future.

Good luck and keep us posted.