INSTRUCTIONS FOR FLORIDA SUPREME COURT APPROVED FAMILY LAW FORM 12.981(a)(6), MOTION FOR SEARCH OF THE PUTATIVE FATHER REGISTRY (11/15) When should this form be used? This form should be used when a stepparent is adopting his or her spouse's child. Section 63.054, Florida Statutes, requires that a search of Florida's Putative Father Registry be conducted in every adoption proceeding. The Office of Vital Statistics of the Department of Health has an application available called Florida Putative Father Registry - Application for Search which should be completed and attached to this form. The Office of Vital Statistics is allowed to charge for searching the registry. You may wish to contact that office in advance to find out what amount and method of payment will be accepted. This form should be typed or printed in black ink. The name to be given to the adoptee after the adoption should be used in the heading of the petition. The stepparent is the petitioner, because he or she is the one who is asking the court for legal action. You must have your signature witnessed by a notary public or deputy clerk. After completing this form, you should file the original with the clerk of the circuit court in the county where you have filed the Joint Petition for Adoption by Stepparent, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.981(b)(1) and keep a copy for your records. These family law forms contain an Order Granting Motion for Search of Putative Father Registry, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.981(a)(7), which the judge may use. You should check with the clerk, family law intake staff or judicial assistant to see if you need to provide this form order to the judge with your motion. If so, you should type or print the heading, including the circuit, county, case number, division, and the child(ren)'s name, and leave the rest blank for the judge to complete. IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING E-FILING The Florida Rules of Judicial Administration now require that all petitions, pleadings, and documents be filed electronically except in certain circumstances. Self-represented litigants may file petitions or other pleadings or documents electronically; however, they are not required to do so. If you choose to file your pleadings or other documents electronically, you must do so in accordance with Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.525, and you must follow the procedures of the judicial circuit in which you file. The rules and procedures should be carefully read and followed. What should I do next? If the judge grants your motion, you will need to take the order, your completed application, and any fee to the Office of Vital Statistics. That office will conduct the search and file the results with the clerk of court. You may call the clerk's office to determine when the results have been filed in order to set a final hearing. Where can I look for more information? Before proceeding, you should read General Information for Self-Represented Litigants found at the Instructions for Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.981(a)(6), Motion for Search of Putative Father Registry (11/15) American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com beginning of these forms. See Chapter 63, Florida Statutes, and Florida Family Law Rule 12.200(a)(2) for further information. IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING E-SERVICE ELECTION After the initial service of process of the petition or supplemental petition by the Sheriff or certified process server, the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration now require that all documents required or permitted to be served on the other party must be served by electronic mail (e-mail) except in certain circumstances. You must strictly comply with the format requirements set forth in the Rules of Judicial Administration. If you elect to participate in electronic service, which means serving or receiving pleadings by electronic mail (e-mail), or through the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, you must review Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516. You may find this rule at www.flcourts.org through the link to the Rules of Judicial Administration provided under either Family Law Forms: Getting Started, or Rules of Court in the A-Z Topical Index. SELF-REPRESENTED LITIGANTS MAY SERVE DOCUMENTS BY E-MAIL; HOWEVER, THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO DO SO. If a self-represented litigant elects to serve and receive documents by e-mail, the procedures must always be followed once the initial election is made. To serve and receive documents by e-mail, you must designate your e-mail addresses by using the Designation of Current Mailing and E-mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915, and you must provide your e-mail address on each form on which your signature appears. Please CAREFULLY read the rules and instructions for: Certificate of Service (General), Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.914; Designation of Current Mailing and E-mail Address, Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.915; and Florida Rule of Judicial Administration 2.516. Special notes... THIS ADOPTION MAY AFFECT THE ADOPTEE'S INHERITANCE. Remember, a person who is NOT an attorney is called a nonlawyer. If a nonlawyer helps you fill out these forms, that person must give you a copy of a Disclosure from Nonlawyer, Florida Family Law Rules of Procedure Form 12.900 (a), before he or she helps you. A nonlawyer helping you fill out these forms also must put his or her name, address, and telephone number on the bottom of the last page of every form he or she helps you complete. Instructions for Florida Supreme Court Approved Family Law Form 12.981(a)(6), Motion for Search of Putative Father Registry (11/15) American LegalNet, Inc. www.FormsWorkFlow.com IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE __________________ JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR __________________ COUNTY, FLORIDA Case No.: _______________________ Division: _______________________ IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF _________________________________________, {use name to be given to the minor child} Adoptee. MOTION FOR SEARCH OF THE PUTATIVE FATHER REGISTRY Petitioner, {full legal name} ______________________________________, files this Motion for Search of the Putative Father Registry, pursuant to Chapter 63, Florida Statutes, and states: 1. This is an action for adoption of a minor by the child's stepparent, who is the Petitioner. . 2. Section 63.054, Florida Statutes, requires that in every adoption, a search o