How do I adopt a newborn?

In order to adopt a newborn in Hawaii, the adoptive parent must go through a few steps to legally adopt the child. The first step is to determine whether you are eligible to adopt. In Hawaii, prospective adoptive parents must be at least 10 years older than the prospective adoptee. Additionally, Hawaii has residency requirements for adoptive parents. If one adoptive parent is a resident of the state, the other adoptive parent must have lived there for at least 6 months. Prospective adoptive parents also must complete an approved pre-adoption home study, which is essentially an investigation into the prospective parent’s ability to provide a safe, stable, and nurturing home for the child. The second step is to find a newborn to adopt. You can do this through an adoption agency or an adoption attorney. After finding a newborn, the adoptive parents must submit an adoption application and paperwork to the state of Hawaii. The application will be reviewed by the state’s Department of Human Services, and if approved, the adoptive parents will be issued a court date. The third step is to attend and complete the court hearing. The court will ask the adoptive parents a few questions about the adoption process and their ability to care for the child. After the questions are answered, the court will issue an adoption decree, which makes the adoption legally binding. Once all of the steps are completed, the adoptive parents will take the adoption decree and other necessary documents to the Bureau of Conveyances to obtain an official certificate of adoption. This certificate will grant the adoptive parents legal rights and responsibilities over the adopted child.

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How do I adopt a newborn?

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