Of the different options for processing an adoption in Santa Barbara County, an adult adoption is one of the fastest. Other major benefits of filing an adult adoption in Santa Barbara County above other adoptions are no formal notifications are required and the social services department is not required to complete an investigation. The cost for an adult adoption in Santa Barbara County is also cheaper than other types of adoptions. The court does have their filing fee, currently at $20, but no other court required fees apply. An adult adoption in Santa Barbara County has 2 Petitioners, the adopting parent and the to be adopted person. Here is an overview of the adult adoption process in Santa Barbara County.
The Documents: A package of local forms (Adoption forms made for and for use in Santa Barbara County) and state forms are prepared. The adult adoption forms in Santa Barbara County usually have a request for adoption, commonly referred to as a petition, a request to establish a court hearing, an agreement of adoption of the parties and consents of spouses if the petitioners are married. An adoption decree, or order, is usually prepared and submitted to the court so it is in the file and ready for the adoption court hearing. After prepared, the documents are filed at the court and the Court sets the court hearing, usually about a month or so later.
The Court: In Santa Barbara County adoptions, including adult adoptions, are filed and processed through Santa Barbara County Family Law Courts. There are 3 main family law courts in Santa Barbara County and depending on where you live; your documents will be filed at one of these courts local to you. The hearing the court establishes will also take place in the courthouse where the documents are filed. The three family law courts in Santa Barbara County are Santa Barbara Family Law Court, Santa Maria Family Law Court and Lompoc Family Law Court.
The Fees: At this time the fee to file an adult adoption, as well as other adoptions in Santa Barbara County is $20.00. As stated above, Santa Barbara County Court does not require a court ordered investigation for the adoption so the cost savings for this is immediate.
The Timeline: No matter if you use an attorney, bonded and registered legal document assistant or attempt the forms yourself, documents can be completely quickly and ready to file at the court after signed by Petitioners, and spouses if married. Once documents are filed the court will set the adult adoption about 40 days later. Both petitioners will show up at the hearing and almost always leave the court with their adoption decree at that point. So generally, start to finish an adult adoption in Riverside County averages 6-7 weeks.
As always, the information provided is not legal advice but rather procedural overviews of a process. Some information may vary from court to court if they have specific local procedures that go further than statewide procedures. Listings provided in the directory are not endorsed by our site, but rather compiled to provide local resources for consumers seeking professional legal services.
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