October 10, 2013. When people hear the term “adult adoption” they think, “What’s the point?” There can be many reasons for an adult adoption. Some adults had been raised by foster parents and now they want to legally be connected to those parents. Others are estranged from their biological parents and have become close to friends and have a parental-like bond. People at any age want a sense of belonging to a family unit.
An adult adoption is fairly straight forward. A Petition is filed on behalf of the parent or parents wanting to adopt. The adoptee must consent during a hearing held in front of a judge. Because the adoptee is an adult, parental rights do not need to be terminated before the adoption can take place.
Iowa law limits who can adopt another adult. The person filing the petition to adopt must be an unmarried adult, a husband and wife together, or one spouse if the other spouse consents, unless the spouse is unavailable or incapacitated. The adoptee cannot be the spouse of the person wanting to adopt. For more information on adult adoptions and family law matters, contact Goosmann Law at info@goosmannlaw.com or by calling 712.226.4000.