The Adoption Process in Texas: Steps, Timeline & Requirements

• 1. Terminate parental rights: voluntarily via an affidavit of relinquishment (signable no earlier than 48 hours after birth, generally irrevocable) or involuntarily under Family Code §161.001 grounds — see involuntary termination explained.
• 2. File the adoption petition in the county where you or the child live; termination and adoption are often combined in one suit.
• 3. Home study (adoption evaluation): a licensed evaluator visits your home, interviews the family, and reviews finances and background checks (~$300–$1,000 in West Texas; sometimes waived for close relatives).
• 4. Six-month residency: the child must generally live with you 6 months before finalization — courts routinely waive this for stepparents and relatives when it serves the child.
• 5. Amicus attorney / ad litem may be appointed to represent the child's interests.
• 6. Final hearing: a short, celebratory court appearance — the judge signs the decree, and a new birth certificate issues naming you as parent.

Stepparent adoption (the most common in Ector and Midland counties): 3–6 months uncontested; the absent parent's rights must be terminated first, which is the only genuinely contested variable. Kinship/grandparent adoption: similar path, often after CPS involvement or informal custody. Foster-to-adopt: follows the CPS case — adoption becomes possible after the court terminates parental rights; most costs are waived and subsidies continue. Private/agency newborn adoption: birth mother cannot sign a relinquishment until 48 hours after birth; a properly drafted affidavit is irrevocable for 60 days, which protects placement. Adult adoption: the simplest — consent of the adult adoptee is all that's needed.

Once final, an adoption is permanent: the child inherits from you, your name goes on the birth certificate, and the former parents' obligations end. We handle stepparent, kinship, and contested-termination adoptions across the Permian Basin — costs are quoted flat at the consultation: (432) 366-6000. Also see how much adoption costs in Texas.