Adoption of an Adult
RC 3107.02 states that a petition for the adoption of an adult may only be filed if:
- Adoptee is totally and permanently disabled;
- Adoptee is determined to be a developmentally disabled person;
- Adoptee established a child-foster caregiver, kinship caregiver, or child-stepparent relationship with the petitioner as a minor, and the adult consents to the adoption;
- Adoptee at the time of their eighteenth birthday was in the permanent custody of or in a planned permanent living arrangement with a public children services agency or a private child placing agency, and the adult consents to the adoption;
- Adoptee is the child of the spouse of the petitioner, and the adoptee consents to the adoption.
Items necessary to file a Petition for the Adoption of an Adult:
- Applicant is a Delaware County resident, or the person being adopted is a Delaware County resident or was born in Delaware County;
- An attorney is not required for an Adoption of an Adult;
- Certified copy of the original “book copy” birth certificate, not simply a certified copy of the abstract of birth (the “book copy” birth certificate contains additional information that is required for these proceedings);
- Copy of Driver’s License or Government issued picture ID of the applicant;
- The initial deposit for court costs is $105.00; and
- Complete the Probate Forms listed below.
The applicant or applicant’s attorney will complete the Certificate of Adoption (which must be typed). For an Ohio born individual, the completed form will be sent by the Court to the Bureau of Vital statistics to obtain a new birth certificate. A new birth certificate will arrive in approximately 4 months. If the adoptee was born outside of Ohio, the Petitioner and the adoptee are responsible for providing the Court the correct paperwork and addresses for obtaining a new birth certificate from the birth state.