Will my partner get parental rights to my son if we get married or can he adopt my son?

[Alisonjayjay]

I have an 8 year old son from a previous relationship. The father isn't named on the birth certificate & hasn't been a part of his son's life at all through his own choice. I haven't seen him in 8 years & last I heard he was living in Greece. I have a new partner who is like a father to my son. We have been together since my son was three. He calls him Dad & we now have a new baby together & plan to marry. If we get married will he have parental rights to my son? We've also discussed if he could adopt my oldest son? How would this work? I have no idea where my son's biological father is & even if I did would he have any rights to prevent my partner adopting?

Your partner won't automatically have PR for the child if you marry. HOwever he can acquire PR by agreement of all those who already have PR. That means if you weren't married and the child's natural father wasn't on the birth certificate entering an agreement is relatively straightforward. The alternative would be adoption which is a bit more complicated.

Getting PR is a pretty simple form-filling procedure as mentioned above. Step-parent adoption isn't really encouraged in the UK and you'd have to go through the (rather intrusive) social services assessment that all prospective adoptive parents have to go through. They also have a duty to try to locate the biological father to get his permission - you'd have to give them the information they need to try and trace him, and he would have the right to object to the adoption if they found him.

friend of mind looked into this - PR for step parent once married is straightforward - adoption more complicated probably not worth it

step parent pr is simple and free!!!! you sign a form at your local court and then send it off to be registered.
at our local court you dont even need an appointment!

adoption could be done but would mean you paying for the application and having an assessment done by social services

But if the bio dad isn't named on the BC, then does he actually have PR?