ADOPTION IN
Wisconsin
Domestic Infant Adoptions can be completed through an adoption agency or adoption attorney. Click here for a directory of adoption service providers in Wisconsin.
International Adoptions must be completed through an adoption agency or adoption attorney. Find an international adoption service provider here.
Foster Care Adoptions in Wisconsin can be completed through the Department of Children and Families.
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the content of this website is frequently updated, information changes rapidly and therefore, some information may be out of date, and/or contain inaccuracies, omissions or typographical errors.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 Wisconsin?
You must be at least 21 years old. You can be single, married, or divorced. You can own or rent a home. You must pass criminal background checks, and the home must pass a safety inspection. Applicants need to complete an adoption home study.
What Adoption Regulations Exist in Wisconsin?
Advertising: Only the following may advertise to find a child open for adoption, place a child, or find an adoptive home: the department, a licensed social worker, individuals providing information through a State adoption center, foster care resource center, individuals with favorable home studies, individuals seeking to place their child for adoption. § 48.825
Relinquishment: Consent can be given before birth but a hearing for voluntary termination of parental rights cannot happen until after the child’s birth. Parents have 30 days from the adoption order to revoke consent for one of the following reasons: mistake, newly discovered evidence, fraud, voided judgement, or a prior judgement. § 48.837; 48.028; 48.46(2)
Birth parent expenses: Adoptive parents may pay the actual costs of any of the following: counseling, maternity clothes, transportation, hospital care, legal, living, birthing classes, and a gift not to exceed $100. § 48.913(1)
Post-adoption contact agreements: Contact agreements are legally enforceable in Wisconsin. § 48.925(4)
Birth father rights: Unmarried fathers may register their information with the State’s paternity registry in order to receive notice of adoption proceedings.
Finalization: The average time between TPR and adoption finalization in 2014 was 8 months.
Is Adoption Assistance Available in Wisconsin?
Many of the children waiting to be adopted in Wisconsin have special needs. Federal (Title IV-E) and state (non-IV-E) programs exist to help adoptive parents meet their child’s needs. In Wisconsin, the maximum monthly amount is based on applicable foster care rates. 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.
Wisconsin gives full effect and recognition to adoptions completed in Canada or by a federally recognized Indian tribe. Readoption in Wisconsin is an option but not a requirement. Parents wishing to receive a State birth certificate for their child must submit documentation of 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:
Steven Obershaw
Department of Children and Families
PO Box 8916
Madison, WI 53708-8916
Phone: 608-261-7660
Fax: 608-264-6750
Email: steven.obershaw@wisconsin.gov
Web: http://dcf.wisconsin.gov/children/adoption/INDEX.HTM
Summary
Adoptions in Wisconsin can be completed through the Department of Children and Families.
You must be at least 21 years old. You need to pass an adoption home study.
Only the following may advertise for adoption: the department, a licensed social worker, individuals providing information through a State adoption center, foster care resource centers, individuals with favorable home studies, individuals seeking to place their child for adoption.
Consent can be given before birth but a hearing for voluntary termination of parental rights cannot happen until after birth. Parents have 30 days from the adoption order to revoke consent.
Adoptive parents may pay the actual costs of any of the following: counseling, maternity clothes, transportation, hospital care, legal, living, birthing classes, and a gift not to exceed $100. Contact agreements are legally enforceable. A paternity registry exists for unmarried fathers. The average time to adoption finalization in 2014 was 8 months.
