The petition for adoption is the pleading that people who want to adopt a minor child file with the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, Domestic Relations Branch – Adoption. In 26 numbered paragraphs it sets out who the petitioners and the child are, who the birth parents are and why the court has jurisdiction, and then it asks for a decree of adoption. On FillingPDF you can fill out the form online and download or print the completed PDF; the form and the court's page for it are published by DC Courts.
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What is Petition For Adoption – District of Columbia?
The Petition For Adoption is the pleading, captioned "Ex Parte in the Matter of the Petition of … for Adoption of Minor Child," in which one or two petitioners ask the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, to adopt a minor child and enter a decree of adoption.
DC Courts describes the form as one you can use to ask the court to adopt a minor child. The petition carries an Adoption Case No. beginning with "A-" in its caption and is issued by the Domestic Relations Branch – Adoption of the Family Court.
The form is a fill-in narrative. Paragraphs 1 to 26 state, in turn:
- the basis for the court's jurisdiction under D.C. Code § 16-301, et seq.;
- the petitioners' marital status, residence, birth dates, race, religion and employment;
- the child's age, birth date, place of birth, race, religion and relationship to the petitioners;
- the adoption subsidy position and whether medical, social or background information was received;
- the birth mother and birth father, or the efforts made to find them;
- placement, consents, relinquishments, orders terminating parental rights, the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) and the Indian Child Welfare Act;
- other court actions, the petitioners' own court history for the past 10 years, the child's assets, and the petitioners' fitness and the child's best interest.
A "WHEREFORE" section then lists what the petitioners ask: an interlocutory or final decree, the child's name, an order of reference to the Child and Family Services Agency, and waivers of birth-parent consent in the cases the form describes. The petitioners sign, and the form ends with an oath sworn before a Deputy Clerk or Notary Public.
Who needs to file Petition For Adoption – District of Columbia?
The main users are the petitioner or petitioners, one or two people, who want to adopt a minor child through the Family Court of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The form is written for the adoption of a minor child.
Conditions printed on the form:
- Petitioners may be married or not. If they are not married, paragraph 2 asks them to state the nature of their relationship.
- Paragraph 1 offers alternative bases for the court's jurisdiction. The petitioners are legal residents of the District of Columbia, or have lived there since a stated date that is at least one year before the petition is filed, or the child is in the legal care, custody or control of the Child and Family Services Agency or another child-placing agency licensed by the District of Columbia.
- The form has separate paragraphs for a first and a second petitioner; a single petitioner completes only the first.
- Each petitioner signs, and the oath is sworn before a Deputy Clerk or Notary Public.
The form does not describe any representative signing for a petitioner.
When to file Petition For Adoption – District of Columbia
File the petition to open the adoption case in the Family Court; the form prints no separate deadline for it. Several statements on the form are measured from the filing date. One option for the residency basis in paragraph 1 is residence in the District of Columbia for at least one year next preceding the filing of the petition. The request in the WHEREFORE section to waive a birth parent's written consent for abandonment refers to a failure to contribute to support for at least six months next preceding the filing. Paragraph 18 asks whether ICPC approval was received before the petition was filed, and paragraph 10 asks whether a subsidy agreement was entered into before filing. The court is asked to have the Child and Family Services Agency report within 90 days on the advisability of the adoption.
Documents you need
- A copy of the ICPC approval, only if approval has been received before filing; paragraph 18 notes that a rule requires a copy of it.
How to fill out Petition For Adoption – District of Columbia
Enter the case caption and petitioners
Fill in the caption with the petitioner name(s) under "The Petition Of" and, once assigned, the Adoption Case No. A-. In the opening sentence, name the Petitioner(s) who represent the following to the Court.
Choose the jurisdiction basis
In paragraph 1, keep the alternative that applies: DC legal residence with the length of residence, residence since a date at least one year before filing, or the child being in the legal care, custody or control of the Child and Family Services Agency or another licensed child-placing agency.
Describe the petitioners
Paragraph 2 states whether the petitioners are married and the marriage date, or the nature of their relationship if not married. Paragraph 3 gives the address; paragraphs 4 to 7 give each petitioner's name, birth date, age, race, religion and employer and job title.
Describe the prospective adoptee
Paragraph 8 gives the child's age, date of birth, place of birth, race and religion. Paragraph 9 states the child's relationship to the petitioners.
State subsidy and background information
In paragraph 10, keep the subsidy statement that applies and give the status of any subsidy agreement. In paragraph 11, state whether you have received the complete medical, social or background information on the child.
Identify the birth parents
Paragraphs 12 and 13 give each birth parent's name, last known address, race and religion. If the identity or location is unknown, state the efforts made to obtain it.
Explain placement and consents
Paragraph 14 gives the placement date by the Child and Family Services Agency or the reasons the child is not living with you. Paragraphs 15 to 17 address consents, relinquishments, termination orders, the responsible agency, and any non-consenting parent and why.
Address ICPC and the Indian Child Welfare Act
In paragraph 18, state whether the ICPC applies and whether approval was received. In paragraph 19, keep the Indian Child Welfare Act statement that applies, including whether the Act was complied with.
List court actions and assets
Paragraph 20 covers any neglect case number, judge and other actions in the prior five years. Paragraph 21 covers the petitioners' own court matters in the past 10 years; paragraph 22 covers the child's combined assets, itemized if over the limit printed there.
Review paragraphs 23 to 26 and the prayer
Paragraphs 23 to 26 state suitability, fitness, best interest and the desired status as natural parent(s). In the WHEREFORE section, choose interlocutory or final decree and the child's name (new or unchanged), and keep the waiver requests that apply.
Sign, swear and download
Each petitioner signs and dates above the oath, which is sworn before a Deputy Clerk or Notary Public. Check every paragraph, then download or print the completed PDF from FillingPDF and file it as described under How to submit.
How to submit Petition For Adoption – District of Columbia
The form names no filing channel, address or portal. It is addressed to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, Domestic Relations Branch – Adoption.
- Sign and swear: both petitioners sign and date, and the closing oath is "subscribed and sworn to before me" a Deputy Clerk or Notary Public, so the petition is not complete until that step is done.
- Attach, if applicable: paragraph 18 notes that a rule requires a copy of any ICPC approval that has been received.
- Where to file: DC Courts publishes the form and its page at https://www.dccourts.gov/court-resources/search-forms/petition-adoption. Follow the court's filing instructions there, or ask the Family Court, for the place and manner of filing.
FillingPDF lets you fill out and download the PDF; submission follows the court's channels.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving the bracketed "choose as applicable" alternatives in paragraphs 1, 10, 14, 15, 19 and 20 unresolved instead of keeping only the wording that fits your case.
- Naming a birth parent as unknown in paragraph 12 or 13 without detailing the efforts made to obtain the identity or location.
- Leaving the unmarried-petitioner relationship unexplained in paragraph 2 when the petitioners are not married.
- Answering paragraph 22 on the child's assets without itemizing all assets when the combined assets exceed the limit printed there.
- Omitting a copy of the ICPC approval when approval was received before filing, as paragraph 18 notes a rule requires.
- Skipping paragraph 17 details, the name and address of any birth parent who has not executed a consent and the reason, when a consent has not been executed.
- Signing the oath without having it sworn before a Deputy Clerk or Notary Public.
- Forgetting the second petitioner's paragraphs, signature or oath when two people are petitioning.
Frequently asked questions
What is a petition for adoption in the DC Superior Court?
It is the pleading in which petitioners ask the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, Family Court, to adopt a minor child. DC Courts says you can use the form to ask the court to adopt a minor child; it ends with a request for an interlocutory or final decree of adoption.
Who can file the Petition For Adoption?
One or two petitioners seeking to adopt a minor child. They may be married or not; unmarried petitioners state the nature of their relationship in paragraph 2. Paragraph 1 requires one basis for jurisdiction, such as DC residence or the child being in a licensed agency's care.
Does the petition for adoption have to be notarized?
The form ends with an oath that petitioners read the petition and believe it is true, sworn before a Deputy Clerk or Notary Public. Sign it in front of that person, since the form says it is subscribed and sworn to before them.
Can I fill out the petition for adoption online?
Yes. You can fill out the PDF online on FillingPDF and download or print it. FillingPDF is independent of the court and does not file the petition; you file it through DC Courts' channels.
What if I do not know the birth father's or birth mother's identity?
Say so in paragraph 12 or 13 and detail the efforts made to obtain the identity or location. The form's alternative wording for an unknown birth parent requires you to describe those efforts, if any.
Do I have to attach anything to the Petition For Adoption?
The form lists one attachment: a copy of any ICPC approval received, which paragraph 18 says a rule requires. Other items, such as consents or relinquishments, are stated in paragraphs 15 to 17 rather than listed as attachments.
Can the petition change the child's name?
Yes. In the WHEREFORE section you choose between asking that the child's name be changed to a new name or that it remain the old name.
What is the difference between an interlocutory and a final decree on this form?
The form's first prayer asks that an interlocutory or final decree of adoption be entered, and you keep the one you want. It does not define either term; ask the Family Court which decree applies to your case.
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