Adopting a Child in Missouri

A person who wants to adopt petitions the juvenile division of the circuit court in the county where the petitioner lives, where the child was born or is located, or where either birth parent lives; a living spouse may join, and the court may order joinder. For a child under 18, written consent is required from the mother (not before the child is 48 hours old), any presumed father or man who timely asserted paternity, and any current legal parents, unless an exception applies (such as termination of parental rights, abandonment, or failure to appear after service). A child 14 or older must consent. Consent is final when signed unless shown, before the final decree, not to have been freely given. Before the decree, a full investigation, including an assessment of the adoptive parents' home and background, must be completed and reported within 90 days.

When the child is the natural child of one of the petitioners and every parent whose consent is required has consented, the juvenile court may waive the investigation and report, except the criminal background check, and enter the adoption decree. The other parent's written consent is required unless an exception applies, such as termination of rights, abandonment, or failure to answer after proper service.