Virginia Emancipation and California Emancipation

**IamSerena** · 08-08-2005, 04:15 PM

Well this is a long story,
i am 17 years old. I am from cali but moved out adn live with ym sister NOW. my mom will NOT give my sister full custody of me and i know how i can legally get my sister to have full custody but that involes puting my lil brother and sisters and risk and i amnot about to do that! so i thought i could get emacioated sence i have a place to live i make my own money and i still go to school and i am living on my own pratically as it is. and i can prove i dont need to hvae my moms help cause i am doing fine now and have been for about 3 years. but i dont know how the laws work here in virginia cause i have jsut moved here adn wht not. how would i go about geting emacipated. where would i get what i need? and all that good stuff!!And if i get emacipated would i be able to be adopted by my sister? if i am legally not my moms resposability? because thats whta i mainly want to do is get adopted by my sister so i can be a milatary dependent! Um can i do that after i get emacipated? and what exsactly is the prosess of geting emancipated?

**aaron** · 08-08-2005, 08:38 PM

Virginia's emancipation law provides:

Quoting Virginia Code Â§ 16.1-331. Petition for emancipation.

Any minor who has reached his sixteenth birthday and is residing in this Commonwealth, or any parent or guardian of such minor, may petition the juvenile and domestic relations district court for the county or city in which either the minor or his parents or guardian resides for a determination that the minor named in the petition be emancipated. The petition shall contain, in addition to the information required by Â§ 16.1-262, the gender of the minor and, if the petitioner is not the minor, the name of the petitioner and the relationship of the petitioner to the minor.

**IamSerena** · 08-09-2005, 01:21 PM

so i can get emacipated. but the thing is my mom lives in california andd i live in virginia.. and where would i have to go to get paper work on geting emacipated??? can i do that in virginia with out having to go back to clifornia or dose my mom need to sign things and what not??? and AFTER i get emcipated can i be adopted by my sister?

**aaron** · 08-09-2005, 11:59 PM

You would seek emancipation in the state in which you are domiciled. I am not clear on why you would want to be adopted by your sister at 17; I am not sure how difficult that would be, and it is thus something I would suggest you discuss with an adoption lawyer in the state where your sister resides.