ADOPTION IN
Arizona
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through agencies in Arizona. They can help prospective adoptive parents to adopt domestically. Click here to connect with an adoption professional.
International Adoptions must be completed through agencies in Arizona. They can help prospective adoptive parents to adopt internationally. You can learn more about international adoption here.
Foster Care Adoptions in Arizona can be completed through the Department of Child Safety (877-543-7633).
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted.
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The information contained on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional legal advice. Always seek the advice of a licensed and qualified professional. While the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.
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Can I Adopt in Arizona?
Hopeful adoptive parents need to be at least 18 in order to adopt, 21 to foster. You can be single, married, or divorced. In Arizona certification for adoption comes from the courts in the county where parents currently reside (parents can still adopt from anywhere in the state). Parents need to file a written application, complete adoption training, and pass a home study. At the completion of the home study, the agency will send their report back to the court containing the following:
-social history/references
-financial state of the family
-physical and mental health
-any court action regarding child abuse
-criminal background checks for all adults in the home
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Arizona?
Advertising: In Arizona, only licensed agencies or attorneys can place a child for adoption and receive payment for their services. No laws regulate the use of advertising during the adoption process.
Relinquishment: Consent is irrevocable unless obtained by fraud, duress, or undue influence.
Birth parent expenses: Adoption related expenses, such as medical, hospital, counseling, legal fees, agency fees, living expenses, and any other expenses the court finds necessary to the adoption are permitted in Arizona. Living expenses are cleared up to $1,000. Individuals wishing to give more than this amount will need to file a motion with the courts.
Post-adoption contact agreements: Contact agreements regulate the amount of communication between the birth and adoptive families after adoption finalization. Agreements are not enforceable unless in writing and approved by the courts. The agreement needs to include the birth parents, the adoptive parents, and the adopted child. Children over the age of 12 may make their wishes known in the post-adoption contact agreement. Broken contact agreements never nullify an adoption or revoke consent.
Birth father rights: There is a birth father registry in Arizona. Fathers wishing to receive notice of adoption proceedings can file their name with the State Registrar of Vital Statistics.
Finalization: The child must live with the adoptive parents for at least 6 months before the adoption can be finalized.
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Arizona?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Arizona have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Arizona, payments range from $600-1075 a month, depending upon the age and type of needs for your child. To see if your child qualifies for an adoption subsidy, please visit NACAC.org.
Can I adopt a Child from another country?
It is always possible to adopt a child from outside the US. After an IR-3 visa has been issued (signifying the adoption has been completed abroad), the parents may readopt the child in the state of Arizona. Parents will need to submit to the court a certified court order of adoption in Arizona and either the child’s original birth certificate or any other written documentation that establishes the child’s birth place and date.
Be sure to contact your local adoption agency for help completing an intercountry adoption.
State Contacts
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted: https://adoption.com/photolisting?page=1&search_type=state&range=4
State subsidy contact person:
Nancy Williams
Arizona Association for Foster and Adoptive Parents
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: 623-582-4846
Fax: 623-582-4846
Email: nancywill2@centurylink.net
Summary
Adoptions in Arizona can be completed through the Department of Child Safety.
Hopeful adoptive parents need to be at least 18 to adopt, 21 to foster. You can be single, married, or divorced. In Arizona, certification for adoption comes from the courts in the county where parents currently reside. Parents need to pass a home study.
In Arizona, only licensed agencies or attorneys can place a child for adoption and receive payment for their services.
Adoption related expenses such as medical, hospital, counseling, legal, agency, living, and any other expenses the court finds necessary to the adoption are permitted.
Written contract agreements are legally enforceable in Arizona. A birth father registry exists in Arizona.
The child must live with the adoptive parents for at least 6 months before the adoption can be finalized.
