Filing your Alberta stepparent adoption doesn’t have to be difficult.

ALBERTA ADOPTION: We understand that filing for an adoption is an extremely important time in your life. With our experience in completing stepparent adoption documents for the residents of Alberta, you can have the confidence to know that your adoption will be completed correctly and without problems.
 
Completing a stepparent adoption in Alberta doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive. We guarantee that your Alberta adoption documents will be accurate and that the court clerks will accept it for filing as meeting or exceeding their standards or you get your money back – 100%.
 

Important information about filing an adoption in Alberta.

All of the adoption documents and procedures for Alberta adoptions are pursuant to the Alberta Adoption Act, which addresses the legal requirements to complete a relative or stepparent adoption. Please review the information below about filing an adoption in Alberta.

With the experience of Reliable Adoption, we can simplify the process of filing a step parent adoption in Alberta by preparing all the legal documents that you will need to complete your stepparent adoption and guiding you through the entire process. This includes preparing all the legal adoption documents that you will need, including any required documents for the child, instructions to complete the Birth Father Registry search, and everything else required to complete the stepparent adoption.
 
We guarantee that your Alberta stepparent adoption documents will be accurate and that the court clerks will accept them for filing as meeting or exceeding their standards, or you get your money back – 100%. We can make this guarantee because we make it our mission to make sure our documents are complete and up-to-date with the newest court regulations. If we don’t make it right, we’ll refund your money – 100%.

Alberta Stepparent Adoption – Information you should know.

A stepparent adoption in Alberta, Canada is the most common type of adoption. It is also the simplest type of adoption because only one parent is being substituted in the proceeding. The adoption process for any type of relative adoption is based on what is in the best interest of the child. The Court will take into consideration the relationship that the child has with their stepparent and the relationship that the child has with the absent parent.
 
A stepparent adoption, as indicated in the name, involves the adoption of a child by the spouse of the child’s parent. The definition of “spouse” which is employed by the legislation is based on the Human Rights Code and includes married partners and partners living in conjugal relationships, whether it be a same-sex relationship or an opposite sex relationship.
 
The main concern of the court in a stepparent adoption proceeding filed in the Family Court of the Superior Court of Justice is the best interest of the child. The court will take into consideration the child’s wishes, the child’s physical, mental and emotional condition as well as the child’s cultural and religious background. In most circumstances, the Court will look to the fact that the request for adoption has been filed with the Court by the child’s parent as proof that the parent believes the stepparent adoption is in the child’s best interest.
 

 

Consent of the absent parent.

One critical element to the stepparent adoption process is the consent of the parties who are required to consent. In a stepparent adoption proceeding filed in Alberta, the court will require the written consent of any child being adopted who is over the age of seven (7), and both of the child’s biological parents, unless the court waives the requirement of the consent for an absent parent.
 
In many circumstances, one parent will have abandoned the child and his or her whereabouts are unknown. The court will dispense with the consent of the absent parent when it is in the child’s best interest to do so and the absent parent, whose consent has been sought, has received notice of the adoption and the application to dispense with that parents consent. It is fairly common that the other parent’s consent is not required when that parent has abandoned the child.
 

Grounds for the termination of parental rights.

The grounds which typically justify the termination of parental rights in a stepparent adoption involve abandonment, failure to support the child, and the best interests of the child. If the absent parent has abandoned the child, that parents parental rights will be terminated and the consent from that parent will not be required. Some of the issues the court will review to determine whether the absent parent has abandoned the child are as follows:

• The absent parent has abandoned the adoptee, failing to offer financial and/or emotional support for a substantial period of time.
• The absent parent has knowingly left the adoptee with the other parent without provisions for support and without communication, or otherwise maintaining a significant parental relationship with the child.

It is not required to terminate parental rights of a parent who is deceased.

Most of the stepparent adoptions we do for customers have one of the following circumstances:

• The absent natural parent is deceased.
• The absent parent has abandoned the child or children, by failing to maintain a meaningful relationship with the child(ren), and failing to provide financial support for the child(ren). In many situations, the absent parent’s whereabouts are unknown.
• The absent parent believes that the adoption is in the child’s best interest, and agrees to sign a consent to the adoption.

Please note that if the other parent has regular contact with the child and pays child support, you will not be able to complete a stepparent adoption in Alberta unless the other parent is willing to sign a consent to the adoption.
 

What it means to adopt your stepchild.

When the adoption order has been issued by the court, the child will be considered to be a child in the respect as if the child had been born to the adoptive parent.
 
This means that no person who was a family member of the absent parent can ever request the court for an order of access with the child.

Where will you file your stepparent adoption documents?

The stepparent adoption application is filed in the Family Court of the Superior Court of Justice. When the stepparent adoption is finalized by the Court, your adopted child will receive a new birth certificate, showing the new parent listed on the birth certificate, and also showing the child’s new name.

Prior to filing your Application for Adoption with the Alberta Court, the petitioner and the child must have been a bona fide resident of Alberta prior to the Application for Adoption, which residency must be stated in the petition and proved at the final hearing.

Visitation by grandparents or the absent parent.

Once the adoption is finalized, the absent parent and the relatives of the absent will have no legal ability to gain visitation to the child.

ALBERTA COURT LOCATIONS:

Here is the information for all of the courts in Alberta that handle adoptions. If your region is not listed, we will include the nearest court information with your documents.

Calgary Adoption Court: Calgary Courts Centre, 601-5 Street SW, Calvary, AB T2P 5P7
(403) 297-7538

Drumheller Adoption Court: 511-3 Ave., West PO Box 759, Drumheller AB T0J0Y0
(403) 820-7300

Edmonton Adoption Court: 1A Sir Winston Churchill Square, Edmonton, AB T5J 0R2
(780) 422-2492

Fort McMurray Adoption Court: 9700 Franklin Ave., Fort McMurray T9H 4W3
(780) 743-7136

Grand Prairie Adoption Court: 10260-99 St., Grande Prairie, AB T8V 2H4
(780) 538-5340

High Level Adoption Court: 10106-100 Ave., PO Box 1560, High Level , AB T0H 1Z0
(780) 926-3715

Hinton Adoption Court: 237 Jasper St. PO Box 6450, Hinton AB T7V 1X7
(780) 865-8280

Lethbridge Adoption Court: 320-4 St., S. Lethbridge, AB T1J 1Z8
(403) 381-5196

Medicine Hat Adoption Court: 460 First St., S. E., Medicine Hat, AB T1A 0A8
(403) 529-8710

Peace River Adoption Court: 9905-97 Ave., Bag 900-34, Peace River, AB T8S 1T4
(780) 624-6256

Red Deer Adoption Court: 4909-48 Ave., Red Deer AB T4N 3T5
(403) 340-5220

St. Paul Adoption Court: 4704-50 St., P.O. Box 1900, St. Paul AB T0A 3A0
(780) 645-6324

Wetaskiwin Adoption Court: 4605-51 St., Wetaskiwin, AB T9A 1K7
(780) 361-1258

Court filing fees.

The court filing fees for an adoption in Alberta are approximately $250. There is also a background fee of about $30 and an attorney witness fee of about $75 for each consent.

 
Step Parent Adoption in Alberta We help families throughout Alberta complete their stepparent adoptions without the high cost of an adoption attorney. We serve families in Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Airdrie, Leduc, Fort Saskatchewan, Lloydminster, Cold Lake, Brooks, Camrose, Grande Prairie, Lacombe, Spruce Grove, St. Albert, Wetaskiwin and all the other cities in Alberta.
 

Start your Alberta Stepparent Adoption Today!