How Much Does It Cost to Adopt a Child in New Jersey?

Adopting can be a great way to grow your family and help a child in need of a home, whether you can’t have children of your own, simply have the emotional and financial capacity to support another child and/or want to share your good fortune with a child who has no permanent home. For more information on what it might cost to adopt a child in New Jersey, please continue reading, then contact one of our experienced adoption attorneys in Bergen County, NJ today.

What does it cost to adopt a child in New Jersey?

The costs of adoption will vary widely from case to case. In domestic adoptions, the adopting parents must pay all costs associated with the adoption, including:

  • Those incurred by the birth mother:
    • Attorney fees
    • Counseling fees
    • Uncovered hospital and medical expenses in connection with the pregnancy and birth of the child
  • The birth mother’s reasonable pregnancy-related living expenses:
    • Food
    • Clothing
    • Shelter
  • Fees and costs charged by their attorney
  • Fees and costs charged by their agency:
    • Placement
    • Match services
    • Home study
    • Post-placement services
  • Travel and hotel expenses
  • The cost of preparing a family profile, adoption advertising and other methods of searching for a child independently

Keep in mind that international adoptions will incur their own set of costs. The costs of international adoption will ultimately depend upon the state you reside in and the country you are adopting from. Nonetheless, domestic and international adoptions cost roughly the same. In either case, adopting a non-relative child will cost you anywhere from approximately $25,000 to $50,000.

Public agency adoptions, otherwise known as foster care adoptions, are the exception. Adopting from public agencies costs little to nothing.

Contact our experienced Bergen County firm

To speak with our team of family law lawyers today, please contact us online, or through our Hackensack, NJ office at (201) 397-1750.

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