Adoption in New Jersey | Some Frequently Asked Questions

Regardless of the type of adoption you choose, the process is an invasive one. To ensure that the child will be placed in a happy, healthy and stable environment, your life will receive close scrutiny. For example, you may be required to participate in training courses, background checks, home visits, reference checks and more. If you would like to undertake this process, please contact one of our experienced adoption attorneys in Bergen County, NJ to learn the answers to some frequently asked questions about adoption in New Jersey.

What are the steps of the adoption process in New Jersey?

To begin the adoption process, you will:

  • Enter a 27-hour training period, known as the “Home Study.”
  • Be required to submit various personal documents and information, such as your financial standing, employment, schooling and medical references, among others.

Once you submit your application and acquire the state’s approval, you will:

  • Have to meet and match with a child.
  • Have all involved parties give their consent to the adoption.
  • Finalize the adoption in court.
  • Be subjected to home visits afterward to ensure your child lives in a safe, positive environment.

What are my options for a New Jersey adoption?

In the Garden State, you have the following options:

  • Domestic adoption: When a U.S. citizen adopts another U.S. citizen, possibly with the help of an adoption agency.
  • International adoption: When a U.S. citizen adopts a foreign citizen, possibly involving travel to and from the child’s home country.
  • Second-parent adoption: When a same-sex parent adopts his or her biological/adoptive child without terminating the first parent’s parental rights.
  • Step-parent adoption: When a stepparent adopts a child with the consent of the noncustodial parent or the court finds the noncustodial parent has a history of neglect or abuse.
  • Private adoption: When someone adopts a child directly through his or her biological parent or a child that someone already knows, bypassing adoption agencies.
  • Adult adoption: When two or more adults transfer inheritance rights and/or filiation.

How can a Bergen County family attorney help you?

Adoption is an intensive, document-heavy process, as the courts need to know that you are right for the child on multiple levels. One of our skilled Bergen County NJ family law and divorce attorneys can help you draft the necessary paperwork and collect and present the needed evidence in adoption court. We will help foster an understanding of your rights and responsibilities so that your adoption process is as orderly as can be managed. A qualified legal representative will help prepare you for the most common eventualities. Do not go it alone. Give us a call today.

Contact our experienced Bergen County firm

At Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark, our attorneys have extensive experience helping clients to understand and protect their legal rights before, during, and after the divorce process in towns across New Jersey and Bergen County, including Hackensack, Ridgewood, Paramus, Teaneck, and Fort Lee. To speak with our team of divorce lawyers today in a free and confidential consultation regarding your concerns about your divorce, please contact us online, or through our Hackensack, NJ office at (201) 397-1750.

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