Hi,

I have a 6 yr old daughter. Her father and I are not married but her father signed her birth certificate. He left us in June 2010.

My current boyfriend is in the US and would like to adopt her as his. Do we need to get consent from her father to proceed with the adoption or consent is not necessary anymore on the grounds of abandonment from the father's end.

The father has not made contact since separation. No financial support as well.

Thanks.

Hazel

First its not a good idea to piggyback your question on another thread. This can lead to confusion. So I've moved your question to its own thread.

Most likely you need to, at least, attempt to get consent. Abandonment in most places (including the Philippines) are grounds that can be used for something else. Even if the father meets the guidelines for abandonment, courts will still want to hear from him.

In addition, most US states require a couple be married for a period before qualifying for a step parent adoption.

So the bottom line here is get married to your boyfriend. Wait a year and then apply for the step parent adoption. You can shop around now for an attorney to prepare the adoption paperwork. That attorney can explain what you need to do. I would NOT recommend doing this without an attorney.

Yes he may attempt an adoption, but will have to notify and attempt to get permission of the bio father, He may be able to adopt without permission but notification has to be done. Without permission proof of a reason for adoption that fits your court rules will be needed.

Most courts require marriage and married for one year prior to adoption