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Adopting a child from outside the Netherlands

Whether you can adopt a child from abroad depends on your circumstances.

Your circumstances

Are you a Dutch national living abroad? In that case, whether you can adopt a child depends on the rules of the country where you live. Please check this with the local authorities.

Are you a Dutch national living in the Netherlands? The Netherlands will cease inter-national adoption before the end of 2030.

There are many people who wish to adopt, the procedure takes a long time and there are few adoptions each year. If you start an adoption procedure now, it is therefore uncertain whether you will ultimately be able to adopt a child.

After 2030, if you live in the Netherlands, you will no longer be able to adopt a child from abroad.

What to arrange for your adopted child?

Did you adopt a child outside of the Netherlands? Then there are many things you will have to arrange. These include applying for a Dutch passport for the child and having foreign documents legalised. What exactly you need to arrange depends on the stage of the procedure you are at.

Attention:  Do you want to apply for a Dutch passport for your adopted child? Then the child's name will appear in the passport as indicated in the birth certificate. Do you want your adopted child's name to appear in the passport as indicated in the adoption declaration? Then you must first have the new name added to the birth certificate. Or you must have a new birth certificate drawn up. Check if you also need to translate and legalise the birth certificate.

I am going to collect my child from abroad

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I am in the Netherlands with my child

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