Can I adopt a child if I’m not married?

Yes, in Washington, you can adopt a child if you are not married. Depending on the type of adoption, certain requirements may need to be met. If a person wants to adopt a child from the Department of Social and Health Services, there is no requirement that the person is married. The same is true for independent adoptions, in which parents arrange for their own adoptions and are not part of the state’s foster care system. However, some types of adoptions require that the adoptive parent be married and in other cases, like adult adoptees, the marital status of the adoptive parent does not matter. If you want to adopt a stepchild, then you will need to be married to the parent of the child. In Washington, a single parent must fill out the same paperwork and must be approved as a prospective adoptive parent. USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) is responsible for adoption applications in the state and all adoptive parents have to pass a criminal background check and a home study. This will help the adoption agency decide if the single parent is an appropriate fit for the child and their family. Overall, single parents in Washington can adopt children, but the requirements may vary depending on the type of adoption. It is important to contact an experienced adoption lawyer to ensure that all legal requirements are met when going through with an adoption.

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