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This guide can help you:

• Understand what it means to adopt an adult
• Understand when someone can adopt an adult
• Follow the steps to adopt an adult

If you want to adopt a child who is a relative, you may be able to use the independent adoption process.

This guide can help you:

• Understand when you can use the independent adoption process
• Follow the steps to adopt a child based on your situation

This guide has general information about the different ways to adopt someone in California. For some types of adoption, there are step-by-step instructions on how to complete the adoption process.

This guide can help you:

• Understand when someone can adopt a stepchild
• Follow the steps to adopt a stepchild
• Understand your options and rights if your child's stepparent has asked to adopt them

This guide can help you:

• Understand what a guardian does
• Become a probate guardian
• Respond (object) if someone started a court case to become your child's guardian
• End a guardianship 
• Ask for visitation rights, as a parent, in a guardianship 

To ask to become a guardian, you fill out and file papers in court.