Wondering about the costs of a stepparent adoption in New Hampshire? Here are some potential costs to expect:
- Birth Certificate Fee: A certified copy of your child’s birth certificate must be submitted to the court. A certified 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.
- 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.
- Service Fee: This fee is paid to the sheriff or other process server to serve the paperwork on a birth parent whose rights are being terminated. Budget $50, but know that the actual cost can end up higher.
- GAL Fee: This fee is paid to the GAL who must investigate when a birth parent’s parental rights are being terminated. Budget $1000.
- 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. 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.
- Birth Certificate Amendment Fee: This fee is paid if your child’s birth certificate is amended to reflect his/her new name or to list the stepparent’s name on the birth certificate. For a New Hampshire birth certificate, the fee is $10. You will also need certified copies of the amended birth certificate. In New Hampshire, this fee is $15 for the first copy and $10 for additional copies.
Less common costs for a stepparent adoption include:
- If you are unable to serve the other birth parent, the judge may allow you to publish notice to him/her instead in a newspaper, which typically runs $100-200.
- Home Study Fee: If a home study is required (and it’s not required in every case), expect to pay around $2000-3000.
- Birth Parent’s Legal Fee: If the birth parent surrenders his/her rights, expect to pay his/her attorney’s fees also, which can could be $500+.
- Apostille Fee: If you need to use your adoption decree or new birth certificate 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 move forward on a stepparent adoption? Contact me to schedule a free consult.
