The content on this website is not legal advice. This page is intended to provide basic information about the legal process, statutes, local court rules, and general court administration to assist people without lawyers in navigating the adoption process.
Additional resources and legal information may be found at www.illinoislegalaid.org.
Filing a Case
The Clerk of the Circuit Court is responsible for accepting filings, which must be filed electronically. To learn more about electronic filing and to access a step-by-step guide, click here. For assistance with e-filing, you may contact the Clerk’s Office either by emailing eFilehelp@cookcountycourt.com or calling 312-603-5030.
Please note that certain groups and filings have been exempted from the electronic filing requirement. For more information and to learn whether you are exempted, click here.
For more information about the procedure for or costs associated with filing, please visit the Clerk of the Circuit Court’s website.
Learn more about filing an adoption case, including the petition requirements, hearing procedures and other requirements, review the court's resource guide: Basics of Adoption Court for Self-Represented Litigants.
Adoption Court Orders
Court Orders Frequently Used in Adoption Cases
Adoption Forms
Forms Used in Adoption Cases
- Final and Irrevocable Consent to Adoption
- Affidavit of Identification
- Affidavit in Support of Petition to Adopt
- Adoptive Parent Rights and Responsibilities Form
- Birth Parents Rights and Responsibilities Form*
- Birth Parent Medical Form
- Consent of an Adult to Adoption
- Consent of a Person Aged Fourteen or Older
- Order and Certification of an Appeal
- Final and Irrevocable Consent to Adoption by a Specified Person or Persons
- Final and Irrevocable Waiver of Parental Rights of Putative or Legal Father
- Illinois Department of Child and Family Services CANTS (Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System) Form
Additional forms can be obtained from the Clerk of the Circuit Court's website, under Court Forms, County Division.