Stiefkindadoption eines Kindes in Deutschland, Inlandadoption Begleitung

Do you want to adopt your stepchild? The adoption agency will advise and support you with the next steps. You can find out more about the process here.

In a stepchild adoption, the biological child of the partner is adopted. An adoption can make sense if, for example, there has been no contact with the separated parent for years, the other parent is deceased or unknown, or stepchildren are to be treated equally in terms of inheritance and maintenance rights. In order to guarantee the well-being of these children, the requirements and suitability of the adopting parent are also examined in these cases.
Through adoption, your stepchild becomes your child from a legal perspective. You then have the same responsibility for the child as you would for a biological child.

All persons involved must seek advice from an adoption agency before applying for an adoption. The discussions will also address whether the child will be OK after the adoption.

The certificates for this advice must be presented to the family court during the adoption process. An exception to the obligation to provide advice exists if the biological mother's partner applies for the adoption and both were already married to each other when the child was born or were living in a registered civil partnership or stable cohabitation.

• Copies of the birth register transcripts
• Copy of marriage certificate
• Copies of death certificates or divorce decrees of former spouses (optional)
• Copies of birth records of legitimate, illegitimate and adopted children
• an extended certificate of good conduct (BZR extract)
• Health certificates
• Extended registration certificate
• Copies of proof of income
• Photos (if possible no passport photos)

Requirements include:

• You must be married to each other as a couple, live in a registered civil partnership or in another stable relationship. A stable relationship is defined as someone who has lived together for at least four years or has a child together and lives together as a family.
• You should have already lived with the child for a reasonable amount of time so that a parent-child relationship has developed.
• Both parents must consent to the application. If the child is 14 years old or older, he or she must also consent.
• The child must be informed about the existing step-parenting, as the family court may also speak to the child.

Otherwise, the same conditions apply as for the adoption of another person’s child.

• The adoption agency advises all parties involved
• The notarized application is submitted to the family court
• The need for adoption and suitability are checked
• The family court decides on the adoption

Both opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples can adopt a stepchild.

A stepchild adoption also occurs when, in a lesbian partnership, the partner of the biological mother – for example after artificial insemination or sperm donation – wishes to obtain legal parenthood for the desired child and applies for the adoption of the child.

• Stepchild adoption of a child in Germany, domestic adoption, support
• Possible for opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples.
• Suitability test similar to that for adoption
• Responsible body: Adoption agencies