ADOPTION IN
Utah
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through an adoption agency or adoption attorney. Click here for a directory of adoption service providers in Utah.
International Adoptions must be completed through an adoption agency or adoption attorney. Find an international adoption service provider here.
Foster Care Adoptions in Utah can be completed through the Department of Human Services (801.538.4100).
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the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.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 Utah?
You must be at least 21 years old to adopt. You can be single, married, or divorced. You can own or rent a home. Your income may be small or large. There are three separate agencies that license parents hoping to foster, adopt, or foster/adopt. After the agency is contacted parents must complete a home study in or to be approved.
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Utah?
Advertising: An attorney, physician, or other person may assist a parent in locating a person interested in adopting the parent’s child, or locating a child to be adopted. However, no payment, charge, fee, or reimbursement of any kind may be made for that assistance. Advertising is not allowed by attorneys, physicians, or other persons. § 62A-4a-602(1); 62A-4a-602(2)(b)
Relinquishment: Birth mothers cannot consent to an adoption until at least 24 hours after the birth of their child. Consent from any other person can be given at any time. Consent is irrevocable once signed. § 78B-6-125-126
Birth parent expenses: The following adoption related expenses are permitted: legal, maternity, medical, hospital, counseling, living, and travel expenses. § 76-7-203
Post-adoption contact agreements: Contact agreements are not legally enforceable.
Birth father rights: Unmarried fathers wishing to receive notice of adoption proceedings may file their information with the Office of Vital Records paternity registry.
Finalization: The average time between TPR and adoption finalization in 2014 was 8 months.
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Utah?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Utah have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Utah, the maximum monthly amount ranges from $352-941. For more information on adoption assistance please 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.
Utah gives full effect and recognition to adoptions finalized abroad in compliance with U.S. and international law. Readoption is an option but not a requirement in Utah. Parents wishing to receive a US state birth certificate for their child must submit a readoption or validation of a foreign adoption decree.
State Contacts
Gallery of children waiting to be adopted: https://adoption.com/photolisting?page=1&search_type=region&range=UnitedStates
State subsidy contact person:
Ms. Marty Shannon
Department of Human Services
Division of Child and Family Services
195 North 1950 West
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
Phone: 801-540-0833
Fax: 801-538-3993
Email: mshannon@utah.gov
Summary
Adoptions in Utah can be completed through the Department of Human Services.
You must be at least 21 years old. You can be single, married, or divorced. You can own or rent. Your income may be small or large. Parents must complete a home study.
While advertising is prohibited (by attorneys, physicians, or other persons), any person may assist a parent in locating a person interested in adopting the parent’s child, or locating a child to be adopted. However, no payment may be made for that assistance.
Birth mothers must wait 24 hours after the birth of their child to give consent, while any other person may do so at any time. Legal, maternity, medical, hospital, counseling, living, and travel expenses are permitted.
Contact agreements cannot be legally enforced. A paternity registry does exist for unmarried fathers. The average time between TPR and adoption finalization in 2014 was 8 months.
