I’ve talked before about the importance of second parent adoptions for lesbian couples, even in a state like New Hampshire where both mothers’ names can go on the birth certificate. You may be wondering of the costs for such an adoption. So let’s talk about the costs for this process in New Hampshire. Of course, your actual costs will vary depending on what is required by your judge.
Typical Second Parent Adoption Costs:
- Notarization Fee: Your signatures on court paperwork need to be notarized. Most banks will provide this service to customers at no charge. If you decide to use a remote online notarization option, budget $100 for the notary’s fee.
- Court Filing Fee: A $150 court filing fee must be paid to the Probate Division of the Circuit Court. This fee is paid per child being adopted.
- Birth Certificate Fee: A certified copy of your child’s birth certificate must be submitted to the court. A copy of a New Hampshire birth certificate costs $15. This fee will vary if your child was born outside of New Hampshire, and there may be extra costs associated with rush processing.
- Legal Fee: This is paid to your attorney for his/her services. Some attorneys charge an hourly rate, while other attorneys charge a flat fee for the entire case. Because most second parent adoptions are straightforward, I charge a flat fee for these cases. Check out the firm’s costs section for current information on legal fees.
- Certified Copy Fee: One adoption decree is automatically issued. It’s good to get a few copies to have extras for your own files–each copy is $10.
Less common costs for second parent adoptions:
- Home Study Fee: This fee is not typically applicable to second parent adoptions in New Hampshire because a home study is typically not required. FYI, a home study typically costs around $2000-3000, so I am always pleased when the judge agrees with me to skip this step.
- Apostille Fee: If you need to use your adoption decree in another country, you will need to have an apostille attached by the Secretary of State’s Office. The fee for this is $10 per document.
Ready to provide legal certainty to your family? Contact me today to learn more about the second parent adoption process.
