Minnesota

Who may adopt?
Any person resident in the State for one year or more.

Consent for adoption to be executed?
Consent may be executed no sooner than 72 hours after the child's birth and no later than 60 days after the child's placement in a prospective adoptive home.

Revocation of consent?
Consent may be withdrawn for any reason within 10 working days after it is executed.

Who may place a child for adoption?
Commissioner of Human Services.
A licensed child-placing agency.
Direct placement by a parent or guardian must be approved by the court.

Advertising?
This issue is not addressed in the statutes reviewed.

Facilitators?
It is unlawful for a person, other than the commissioner or an agency, knowingly to engage in placement activities without being licensed by the commissioner, except for the placement of a child by a birth parent or legal guardian in a preadoptive home.
''Placement activities'' include:

Placement
Arranging or providing short-term foster care pending an adoptive placement
Facilitating placement by maintaining a list in any form of birth parents or prospective adoptive parents
Collecting health and social histories of a birth family
Conducting an adoption study
Witnessing consents to an adoption

Putative Father's Registry?
Yes. The putative father may register any time before the birth of the child, but must register no later than 30 days after the child's birth.
A putative father who has registered must file his intent to initiate a paternity action within 30 days after receiving notice from the adoption registry in order to preserve his rights to the child.

Expenses?
Birth parent –
Counseling.
Medical expenses.
Legal fees.
Transportation, meals, and lodging.
Adoption services provided by an agency.
Reasonable living expenses.
Payments for living expenses shall not extend beyond 6 weeks after delivery.
Does not include lost wages, gifts, educational expenses, or other similar
expenses.

Department/Agency –
A licensed agency may receive payment for:
Expenses related to adoptive counseling
Supervision of children before legal adoption is complete
Birth parent expenses.

Information provided in part by the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

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Credits: Sandra Hanks Benoiton