Adoption is a legal process of becoming a parent to a child. Adoption is usually full of legal procedures. Once you adopt a child he/she legally becomes your child therefore, the biological ties his/she parents isn’t recognized by law. Before taking part in this procedure you must familiarize yourself with child adoption regulations in your country otherwise it will be difficult to achieve. In Germany, you can either adopt a child who is already related to you or who you have no biological ties. It is also legal to adopt from other jurisdictions.
Who can Adopt A Child?
German laws general dictate that only married couples can adopt a child. It requires the couple to undergo the process together and therefore both parties must agree before starting the legal procedures. Single citizens are not entirely restricted adopting, for they can adopt a child in exceptional cases. The age of adoption in Germany is 25 years, however if one is adopting a stepchild, the age reduces to 21 years.
Conditions for Adoption and Process
Where the biological parents are putting their child for adoption, then the adoptive couple and child’s parents must first agree. Both parties must understand that this process is permanent and therefore one can not return or claim back the child once the authorities give a go ahead. For children to be under adoption, he or she must be at least 8 weeks. Mediation between parties can only be through adoption agencies like Youth Welfare offices and other regional recognized agencies. The agencies normally hold the details of who is adopting or putting the child for adoption, explaining why it’s hard to undo an adoption process.
Once a couple or Individual decides on adoption whether adopting or putting under adoption, the next step is to visit the adoption agencies. The Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt), for instance, organizes for mediation. Both parties have a right to advise in accordance with German laws and therefore the agencies will ensure that this happens. It is also the mandate of these institutions to assess and determine if the adoptive couple is suitable for the adoption.
After the agency approves you for adoption, the child will be under your care for a certain period. The child stays with you in your place as the institution’s monitor. Once the probation phase is over, they now place the child under the custodian of the new parents. The biological parents now lose all the rights over the child and the adoptive family becomes a new family to this child.
It possible for Germans to adopt children from other parts of the globe. We should note that this can only happen under the strict guide of The Hague Adoption Convention to which Germany is a party alongside 60 other nations. Children adopted from abroad and are under the age of 18 years, automatically become German citizens. It is also possible for people in other counties to adopt children for Germany. However, it is necessary to note that it’s only possible to adopt a child from another country only when it’s difficult for him or her to receive adoption from that country.
In conclusion, kindly ensure that you don’t adopt any child without following the adoption guideline, for you may land in trouble. We also encourage you to familiarize with laws from other countries in cases where you want to adopt from abroad.
