ADOPTION IN
Ohio
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through adoption agencies/attorneys to help find a child to adopt domestically. Click here for a directory of adoption service providers in Ohio.
International Adoptions must be completed through adoption agencies/attorneys to help find a child to adopt internationally. Find an international adoption service provider here.
Foster Care Adoptions in Ohio can be completed through the Department of Health (614 466-2531).
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the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.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 Ohio?
Applicants must be 18 to adopt, 21 to foster. Parents must complete preservice training and a home study. The home study includes criminal background checks, medical statements for all members of the home, and safety/fire inspection of the home.
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Ohio?
Advertising: Only licensed child-placing agencies and individuals in Ohio can advertise that a child is available for adoption. A person seeking to adopt a minor must utilize an adoption agency or attorney. Any person may may informally aid the adoption process by making known children available for adoption. § 5103.17; 3107.011(A)
Relinquishment: Parents may give consent to an adoption at any time after 72 hours after birth. Consent cannot be revoked after the entry of a final adoption decree. § 3107.08(A); 3107.084
Birth parent expenses: Only the following payments are permitted: adoption related medical, hospital, legal, foster care, court expenses, and living expenses not to exceed $3,000. § 3107.055(C)
Post-adoption contact agreements: Contact agreements are not legally enforceable in Ohio.
Birth father rights: Unmarried fathers may register with the Department of Job and Family Services’ putative father registry up to 30 days after the birth of the child. § 3107.061; 3107.062
Finalization: Out of 1,406 adoptions completed in 2014, the average time between TPR and adoption finalization was 15 months (acf.hhs.gov)
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Ohio?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Ohio have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Ohio, the maximum monthly amount is the foster care maintenance amount (but counties will negotiate this rate). For more information 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 may provide the child with citizenship upon arrival in the States.
Readoption in Ohio is an option but not a requirement. Parents wishing to receive a State birth certificate for their child must submit to the court a readoption or validation of a foreign adoption.
State Contacts
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted: https://adoption.com/photolisting?page=1&search_type=region&range=UnitedStates
State subsidy contact person:
Dan Shook
Ohio Department of Jobs & Family Services
Office for Children and Families
4200 E Fifth Ave
Columbus, OH 43219
Phone: 614-752-0619
Fax: 614-752-0656
Email: Dan.Shook@jfs.ohio.gov
Summary
Adoptions in Ohio can be completed through the Department of Health. Hopeful adoptive parents can use adoption agencies/attorneys to help them find a child to adopt.
Generally, applicants can be single, married, or divorced; you can own or rent a home; you must complete a home study when applying to adopt a child. Parents must be 18 to adopt, 21 to foster.
Only licensed child-placing agencies and individuals can advertise for adoption purposes. Parents must wait until 72 hours after birth to give consent, and consent is irrevocable after the final adoption decree is given.
Adoptive parents may pay reasonable adoption related expenses for the following: hospital, medical, legal, and living expenses not to exceed $3,000 unless approved by the court.
There is a paternity registry in Ohio for unmarried fathers. The average time in 2014 between TPR and adoption finalization was 15 months.
