ADOPTION IN
Hawaii
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through adoption attorneys and adoption agencies. You can contact an adoption professional here.
International Adoptions must be completed through adoption attorneys and adoption agencies. You can learn more about international adoption here.
Foster Care Adoptions in Hawaii can be completed through the Department of Human Services (855-643-1643).
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted.
Join the Hawaii adoption group in our community!
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the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.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 Hawaii?
Applicants can be married, single, or divorced. Parents are required to pass a criminal background check, medical history check, and provide financial information on previous employer. Applicants must also pass a home study and submit a list of references in order to adopt. For more information on adoption qualification, please visit Hawaii’s Human Services website.
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Hawaii?
Advertising: Advertising and the use of adoption facilitators in Hawaii is allowed. No laws currently regulate the use of either in the state of Hawaii.
Relinquishment: Parents can file a petition for relinquishment of parental rights anytime after the birth mother’s sixth month of pregnancy. However, no judgement on that petition can be entered into until after the birth of the child. Petitioners must be given at least 10 days notice of the adoption hearing. § 571-61; 578-2(f)
Birth father rights: Unmarried fathers are presented at the time of birth or shortly after a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity form. Father’s who sign this form are required to receive notice of adoption proceedings. § 584-3.5
Finalization: Out of the 121 adoptions completed in 2014, the average time between termination of parental rights and adoption finalization was 12 months. (acf.hhs.gov)
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Hawaii?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Hawaii have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Hawaii, monthly payments range from $576-676 depending upon your child's age. For more information on Hawaii adoption assistance, visit NACAC.org.
Can I adopt a Child from another country?
It is always possible to adopt a child from another country, even if you live in the United States. Children under 18 adopted from a Hague Convention country entering the U.S. with an IH-3 visa may automatically receive U.S. citizenship.
Children adopted from a non convention country must qualify as orphans before receiving U.S. citizenship. When U.S. citizens finalize an adoption abroad, they must apply to the USCIS for an IR-3 visa for the child. An IR-3 visa classifies the child as an immigrant and provides the child with citizenship upon arrival in the States.
The immigration process varies for intercountry adoptions that are finalized after the child arrives in the States. Hawaii gives full recognition to adoptions completed abroad after a court hearing to find that all laws in the child’s country and U.S. were followed regarding the adoption. The adoption hearing can be waived if adoptive parents submit an affidavit to the courts and the courts find that all issues normally covered were covered by the child’s country and the USCIS. § 578-8(c)
State Contacts
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted: https://adoption.com/photolisting?page=1&search_type=region&range=UnitedStates
State subsidy contact person:
Kathryn Boyer
Department of Human Services (DHS)
Child Welfare Services Branch
Program Development
810 Richards St. Suite 400
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: 808-586-5698
Fax: 808-586-4806
Email: kboyer@dhs.hawaii.gov
Summary
Adoptions in Hawaii can be completed through the Department of Human Services.
Applicants can be married, single, or divorced. Parents must pass a criminal background check, medical history check, and provide financial information. Applicants must pass a home study and submit a list of references.
Parents can file a petition for relinquishment of parental rights anytime after the birth mother’s sixth month of pregnancy. However, no judgement on that petition can be entered into until after the birth of the child.
Unmarried fathers are presented at the time of birth or shortly after a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity form. Father’s who sign this form are required to receive notice of adoption proceedings.
Out of the 121 adoptions completed in 2014, the average time between termination of parental rights and adoption finalization was 12 months.
