REQUIREMENTS FOR PROSPECTIVE ADOPTIVE PARENTS & CHILDREN
ADOPTIVE PARENTS
A person with habitual residence abroad may adopt a child habitually residing in the Republic of Bulgaria if registered in the Register for Adoptive Parents Habitually Residing Abroad who wish to adopt a child with habitual residence in the Republic of Bulgaria under the terms of full legal adoption. This Register is kept by the Ministry of Justice.
AGE DIFFERENCE – The prospective adoptive parent must be at least fifteen years older than the adopted child. The law does not require a maximum age difference, but this should be considered for domestic adoptions. The recommended age difference between the adoptive parent and adoptive child must not exceed 50 years with respect to the younger, and 55 years with respect to the older when spouses are the adoptive parents. If a single unmarried person is adopting the lower age difference applies.
ADOPTIVE PARENTS
A person with habitual residence abroad may adopt a child habitually residing in the Republic of Bulgaria if registered in the Register for Adoptive Parents Habitually Residing Abroad who wish to adopt a child with habitual residence in the Republic of Bulgaria under the terms of full legal adoption. This Register is kept by the Ministry of Justice.
AGE DIFFERENCE – The prospective adoptive parent must be at least fifteen years older than the adopted child. The law does not require a maximum age difference, but this should be considered for domestic adoptions. The recommended age difference between the adoptive parent and adoptive child must not exceed 50 years with respect to the younger, and 55 years with respect to the older when spouses are the adoptive parents. If a single unmarried person is adopting the lower age difference applies.
MARITAL STATUS – in compliance with the Bulgarian Family Code the adoptive parents must be married – it is inadmissible to adopt in a cohabitation regime /regardless of whether registered or not/. A single person may adopt, too.
HEALTH – the adoptive parent(s) must be in good physical and mental health and they must not have illnesses endangering the life and health of the child, or any that would hamper the adequate catering to the needs of the respective child.
SOCIOECONOMICAL STATUS - the adoptive parent(s) must be socioeconomically average for the country of their habitual residence.
HEALTH – the adoptive parent(s) must be in good physical and mental health and they must not have illnesses endangering the life and health of the child, or any that would hamper the adequate catering to the needs of the respective child.
SOCIOECONOMICAL STATUS - the adoptive parent(s) must be socioeconomically average for the country of their habitual residence.
CHILDREN
Legal requirements toward Bulgarian or foreign child, usually residing in Republic of Bulgaria, eligible to be adopted under the conditions of full adoption by adoptive parents, usually residing abroad:
1. Eligible for adoption are children, who at the time of filing the adoption application are at the
age to 18;
2. Eligible for adoption are children, who have been entered in the register in The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria for children, eligible to be adopted by foreigners under the conditions of full adoption, and by the start of the adoption procedure in the Court no circumstances, leading to deletion from the register, have occurred;
3. The National Adoption Council shall inform the International Adoption Council in the Ministry of Justice for child’s filing with Regional Registers of Children for Full Adoption If, within 6 months from the entry of the child in the register at least three candidate adopters have been nominated and no one of them has filed an application for his/her adoption or in spite of the efforts is impossible to nominate an eligible candidate adoptive person;
4. Children over 14 have to give their consent to the adoption; for children under 10 an opinion has to be listened to the Court;
5. The adoption is only full adoption. Children are:
a) Children placed in specialized institutions that have written consent for adoption given by their birth parents or whose parents are unknown;
b) Children placed in specialized institutions or in residential type social service and without justified reason, did not asked for terminating the placing or changing the protection measure and during the six months after they have been placed. The adoption is completed without a written parent’s consent for the full adoption;
c) Children with unknown or deceased parents, or parents deprived of parental rights who are enlisted in the database with a decree of the regional court;
d) Children that have written consent for adoption given by their birth parents or whose parents are unknown and are placed with foster families or with other persons;
e) Children that are not placed in specialized institutions, with foster families or with other persons and who are enlisted in the database upon request of their parents.
1. Eligible for adoption are children, who at the time of filing the adoption application are at the
age to 18;
2. Eligible for adoption are children, who have been entered in the register in The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria for children, eligible to be adopted by foreigners under the conditions of full adoption, and by the start of the adoption procedure in the Court no circumstances, leading to deletion from the register, have occurred;
3. The National Adoption Council shall inform the International Adoption Council in the Ministry of Justice for child’s filing with Regional Registers of Children for Full Adoption If, within 6 months from the entry of the child in the register at least three candidate adopters have been nominated and no one of them has filed an application for his/her adoption or in spite of the efforts is impossible to nominate an eligible candidate adoptive person;
4. Children over 14 have to give their consent to the adoption; for children under 10 an opinion has to be listened to the Court;
5. The adoption is only full adoption. Children are:
a) Children placed in specialized institutions that have written consent for adoption given by their birth parents or whose parents are unknown;
b) Children placed in specialized institutions or in residential type social service and without justified reason, did not asked for terminating the placing or changing the protection measure and during the six months after they have been placed. The adoption is completed without a written parent’s consent for the full adoption;
c) Children with unknown or deceased parents, or parents deprived of parental rights who are enlisted in the database with a decree of the regional court;
d) Children that have written consent for adoption given by their birth parents or whose parents are unknown and are placed with foster families or with other persons;
e) Children that are not placed in specialized institutions, with foster families or with other persons and who are enlisted in the database upon request of their parents.