Adoption eines ausländischen Kindes Begleitung

Do you want to adopt a child from abroad? This process is supported by the Youth Welfare Office and the International Placement Office.

A foreign adoption is when the child lives in another country before the adoption and moves or is to move to Germany as a result of the adoption. The nationality of the child and your own nationality are irrelevant.

The adoption can take place abroad, but also in Germany. However, it is usually pronounced in the country of origin.
Adoptions carried out in Germany also count as foreign adoptions if the child has only come to Germany in the last 2 years before the application is made and the adopting parents live in Germany.

During the entire process, you will be accompanied by a placement office that will advise and support you. If you wish, the placement office will also be there for you after the adoption procedure has been completed. After the adoption, the countries of origin usually want to be informed about the children's lives in the form of development reports. The placement agency will also discuss this with you.

If you wish to adopt a child, you must have unlimited legal capacity under German law and be at least 25 years old. If you are married, at least one of the two spouses must be 25 years old, whereby the younger spouse must be at least 21 years old.

There is no legal maximum age for adoptive parents. According to the Federal Working Group of the State Youth Welfare Offices, the age difference to the adoptive child should correspond to a natural distance.
Normally, a married couple - regardless of gender - can only adopt a child together. Whether an international adoption by same-sex couples is possible depends largely on the legal situation in the adoptive child's country of origin. However, single people can also adopt a child.

You must be suitable as adoptive parents. In addition, you must be specially qualified for an international adoption.

Further requirements result from the law of the country from which the child originates.

In most cases, the international adoption process consists of 3 steps:

1. Mediation procedure in Germany
2. Adoption procedure abroad
3. Recognition of the adoption in Germany

In detail:

• You register with a placement office for international adoptions. This can either be the central adoption office of the state youth welfare office or a non-governmental placement office that is licensed for foreign adoptions. You will receive initial advice from the specialists.
• They will then check whether you are suitable for adoption. This suitability test consists of two parts:
• The general suitability test checks whether you are generally suitable for adoption. This is normally done by your youth welfare office.
• The country-specific suitability test checks whether you are specifically suitable for adopting a child from abroad. This is done by the international placement agency to which you have applied.
• After a positive check, your international placement agency will forward your adoption application to the specialist adoption agency in the country you have chosen.
• It usually takes some time before a child who needs you as parents is proposed to you. During this waiting period, your international placement agency will continue to advise you and prepare you for the adoption.
• When a child is suggested to you, you will usually already learn a lot about the child, such as its age, state of health or previous history. Your placement agency will discuss the proposal with you and help you decide whether you want to continue the adoption process with the proposed child. You will travel to the child's country of origin to get to know them and - depending on the regulations in the country of origin - spend the adoption care period with them.
• The adoption procedure is usually carried out in the child's country of origin. Your placement agency will advise you on this, prepare you for the procedure and support you during the process.
• After the adoption procedure abroad, the adoption must be recognized in Germany. If the child's country of origin has signed up to the "Hague Adoption Convention", it will issue you with a certificate (in accordance with Article 23 Hague Convention), which automatically recognizes the adoption in Germany; otherwise you must apply for recognition at the family court in Germany. The foreign adoption is only effective in Germany once it has been recognized. You can find more information under How is a foreign adoption recognized in Germany?
• You can apply for recognition from the child's country of origin. As a rule, this is also necessary so that you can enter Germany with the child: After you have submitted the application, your placement agency will issue you with a certificate stating that it has carried out your adoption procedure. With this certificate, you can apply for a visa or other entry documents for the child at the German embassy or another diplomatic mission in the child's country of origin.
• As soon as you have received the entry documents, you can enter Germany with the child.
  

You have no legal claim to the placement of a child.

• Adopting a child from abroad
• Contact the adoption agency if you wish to adopt
• Selection process via documents and interviews
• Only the adoption agency decides on suitability.
• After a general check, country-specific check
• Placement procedure in Germany
• Adoption procedure abroad
• Recognition of the adoption in Germany
• Responsible body: Youth welfare office and foreign placement office