Adopting a Child in Nebraska

Any adult may adopt a minor child; a married person must be joined by his or her spouse. Written consents are filed in the county court where the adoptive parents live (or where a juvenile court has custody), signed by the child if over 14 and by both parents of a child born in wedlock, the mother of a child born outside marriage, or both parents where the father's rights are established under the putative father provisions. Consent or relinquishment is valid only if signed at least 48 hours after birth, and is not required from a parent who relinquished the child, abandoned the child for at least six months before filing, had rights terminated, or cannot consent. A preplacement home study by the Department of Health and Human Services or a licensed agency, completed within one year before placement, must be filed before the hearing.

The spouse of a child's parent may adopt the child. No adoptive home study is required for a stepparent unless the court orders one, but the court must order a national criminal history check and a central registry check of the petitioner, and providing the child's medical history is discretionary. The other parent's written consent is required unless an exception applies, such as abandonment for at least six months before filing, termination of rights, relinquishment, or inability to consent.