LBGT- and other family relationships  

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Stepchild adoption

My partner and I live in a registered partnership. My partner has a daughter (of 10 years of age ) and the biological father of the child is unknown or deceased. Is there a legal possibility that I can adopt her daughter?

 

Yes, there is. Since 01 January 2018, the possibility of a so-called stepchild adoption has been statutorily possible,  not only for heterosexual married couples, but also for couples in registered partnerships or for cohabiting couples under certain additional legal conditions. The prerequisite for this is that the second biological  parent must either be:

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1. unknown

2. deceased, or

3. agreeable.

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An adoption should always be  in the best interests‘ of the child. Since it is not possible to have more than two legal parents, in the case of a stepchild adoption of children, who already have two legal parents, the consent of the second parent is necessary to terminate his or her legal parenthood.