Requirements for Adoption

Age limits apply to adoption. Single applicants must be at least 25 years old. For couples, one partner must be at least 21 years old and the other at least 25 years old. However, there is no maximum age limit. However, the general rule is that the age difference between the prospective adoptive parents and the adoptive child should correspond to a natural age gap.

Anyone who wishes to take on the responsibility of raising an adopted child should have a stable personality. It is important for adopted children that their caregivers can provide them with a lasting, reliable, and resilient relationship. The adoption agency assesses applicants’ suitability based on their life history and personal attitudes, including how they cope with involuntary childlessness or the loss of a child. Skills such as the potential adoptive parents’ resilience in difficult situations or their sensitivity in empathizing with the needs of the child to be adopted also play a role. In this context, the agency also considers questions from the prospective adoptive parents regarding the birth parents, as well as their willingness to inform the child about their ancestry and to be open about the child’s background.

Adoptive parents should be able to care for the child over a long period of time without any serious health limitations. For this reason, medical certificates and/or psychological evaluations, as well as a health certificate from the public health department, may be required.

The placement agency will conduct several interviews to explore the applicants' life goals and their motivation for adopting a child.

Prospective adoptive parents should be able to provide the child with a stable and secure home. For this reason, the couple’s relationship is also evaluated during the screening process. Both parents’ parenting goals and aspirations for the child’s future must align. Furthermore, the relationship should be resilient enough to handle potentially difficult situations and overcome crises.

Questions about personal experiences with parenting, as well as views on parenting styles and methods, are intended to help individuals gain clarity about their own childhoods. The counseling discussions between the professionals and the applicants are intended to help prevent applicants from unconsciously transferring their own experienced parenting patterns onto the adopted child.

Children already living in the family are also taken into account in the suitability assessment. The assessment examines what impact the future sibling dynamic might have on the family system. Another criterion is whether the primary caregivers can devote sufficient time to the adopted child in addition to their existing responsibilities.

The placement agency's specialist checks whether the living situation is appropriate and whether there is enough space for a child and a separate bedroom.

An adopted child needs particularly loving and unconditional attention, especially during the adjustment period. To help the child form a strong bond, adoptive parents should be able to set aside sufficient time from their work. At least one parent must be willing, at least temporarily, to scale back their work commitments. Alternatively, both partners can organize their work schedules flexibly so that they can take turns providing care. Incidentally, adoptive parents are also entitled to parental leave and parental benefits from the very first day the child is welcomed into the family.

Another requirement for adoption is proof of financial circumstances. The prospective parents must be able to provide the child with a secure and stable future. To this end, prospective adoptive parents must submit proof of income, as well as a statement of assets and liabilities, to the adoption agency. Adoptive parents may not receive any government social benefits during the application phase. Based on their employment status and financial circumstances, the adoption agency assesses whether the parents can reliably provide for the child’s support.

Applicants must submit an extended criminal record check to the placement agency. If there is a criminal record or a potential risk to the welfare of children, the applicant is not considered suitable.