{"id":10526,"date":"2023-06-20T12:01:08","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T12:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/?page_id=10526"},"modified":"2024-03-25T15:23:46","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T15:23:46","slug":"becoming-the-legal-parent-of-a-child","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/rules\/children\/childcare\/adoption\/becoming-the-legal-parent-of-a-child\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Become the Legal Parent of a Child by Parental Order"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>PARENTAL ORDER UK<\/strong>: There are several key steps to becoming a child&#8217;s legal parent.<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the process will be to apply for a parental order in the UK.<\/p>\n<p>This is the only way to become the legal parent of a child if you and your partner are using child surrogacy methods.<\/p>\n<p>Having a parental order transfers legal rights away from the birth mother.<\/p>\n<p>Thus, it transfers <a href=\"\/rules\/children\/childcare\/pregnancy\/parental-responsibility\/\">parental responsibility<\/a> to those who use a surrogate to have a child.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note<\/strong>: These guidelines cover the rules for becoming a child&#8217;s legal parent in England and Wales, for more detailed advice contact a <a href=\"https:\/\/osborneslaw.com\/family-law\/\">family lawyer.<\/a> But, there is a different <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mygov.scot\/child-guardian\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legal procedure in Scotland<\/a> and in Northern Ireland.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>How to Apply for a Parental Order<\/h2>\n<p>Check that you both meet the eligibility criteria before applying for a parental order. All these must apply:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You must have some genetic relationship to the child (i.e. be the sperm donor or the egg donor).<\/li>\n<li>You must be in a relationship where you and your partner are either:\n<ul>\n<li>Married<\/li>\n<li>Civil partners<\/li>\n<li>Living as civil partners<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>You and your spouse (or partner) must also:\n<ul>\n<li>Have the child you want to become the legal parent of living with you.<\/li>\n<li>Reside permanently in either the United Kingdom, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Note<\/strong>: Parental orders offer legal solutions for solving parenthood in the United Kingdom. But, as a single person you would not be able to apply for a parental order. You must be in a coupled relationship.<\/p>\n<p>The next step is to fill in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/apply-for-a-child-born-to-another-person-to-be-legally-yours-form-c51\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">form C51<\/a> titled &#8216;Application for a Parental Order (Section 54 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008)&#8217;. You must give this form to a family proceedings court within six (6) months of the child being born.<\/p>\n<p>The family proceedings court will want to see the full birth certificate of the child. The court will also charge you a fee of \u00a3232 for their services.<\/p>\n<p>Once this gets filed the court will set a date for a hearing. They will issue a &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/form-c52-acknowledgment-section-54-human-fertilisation-and-embryology-act-2008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">C52 acknowledgement form<\/a>&#8216; to you. Give form C52 to the legal parent of the child (i.e. the surrogate).<\/p>\n<p>The birth mother must agree to the parental order in writing. The same applies for any other parent of the child. They will use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/form-a101a-agreement-to-the-making-of-a-parental-order-in-respect-of-my-child-section-54-of-the-human-fertilisation-and-embryology-act-2008\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">form A101A<\/a> titled &#8216;Agreement to the making of a parental order in respect of my child. Section 54 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note<\/strong>: You should not delay applying for a parental order. This procedure to become a child&#8217;s legal parent is not possible once the child turns six (6) months old.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Adoption Alternatives<\/h2>\n<p>There is another option if you or your partner are not related to the child. The same alternative is also available if you are single. You may consider the <a href=\"\/rules\/children\/childcare\/adoption\/process\/\">child adoption process<\/a> as the only way for you to become the legal parent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note<\/strong>: A registered adoption agency must have an involvement in <a href=\"\/rules\/children\/parenting\/surrogacy\/\">the surrogacy process<\/a> if you choose to adopt a child.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"updated-data\"><strong>Becoming the Legal Parent of a Child in the United Kingdom<\/strong><br \/>\n<time datetime=\"2022-01-01\">Last Updated 2022<\/time><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PARENTAL ORDER UK: There are several key steps to becoming a child&#8217;s legal parent. The first part of the process will be to apply for a parental order in the UK. This is the only way to become the legal parent of a child if you and your partner are using child surrogacy methods. Having&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/rules\/children\/childcare\/adoption\/becoming-the-legal-parent-of-a-child\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">How to Become the Legal Parent of a Child by Parental Order<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":2529,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Become the Legal Parent of a Child by Parental Order - UK Rules<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theukrules.co.uk\/rules\/children\/childcare\/adoption\/becoming-the-legal-parent-of-a-child\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Become the Legal Parent of a Child by Parental Order - UK Rules\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PARENTAL ORDER UK: There are several key steps to becoming a child&#8217;s legal parent. 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