Requirements for adoptive parents in Ukraine

The adoption procedure consists of many stages. There are many requirements for the adoptive parents, the future adoptive family, their documents at each stage of adoption.

When you decide to take an orphan into your family, and thus make the child happy, the first question you need to ask yourself is: Do I meet the requirements for adoptive parents in Ukraine? As by answering this question, you will immediately understand your chances of successful completion of the adoption procedure.

Today, we will elaborate on all the requirements and form a common understanding of who can become an adopter in Ukraine.  

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Requirements for adopters’ income, age and place of residence 

Let’s talk more specifically about the criteria that the adoptive parents must meet:

General requirements for adoptive parents.

Adopters must be capable of working. Such persons may be married or have no legal spouse. The exceptions are foreign adoptive parents who must be married in order to be able to adopt a child in Ukraine.

It is mandatory to attend a training course for potential adoptive candidates conducted by the appropriate social service center for families, children, and youth.

Requirements for the age of adopters.

There are several standard requirements for the age of adoptive parents:

• The age difference between the adopter and the child must be at least 15 years.
• The age should be such that at the time of the retirement age of both parents, the children are 18 years old (majority age). 

In case of the retirement age of one of the parents, then the time of residence of children is determined by the age of the younger parent. There are families where both parents have reached retirement age, but continue to live together with their foster children for the next five years. However, these are rare cases which require good reasons.

Requirements for the adopter’s income.

The adopter’s monthly income must be at least the minimum subsistence level for the last six months before the application for adoption. 

That is, for today your income per month for the last 6 months shall amount to 2,102 UAH/month. 

This income must be obtained officially, as in the future you will have to prove its existence, by obtaining a certificate of income or filing a declaration. 

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Requirements for the place of residence of the adoptive parents.

An adopter has the right to adopt a child only if he/she has his/her own home, which meets the sanitary and living conditions. These requirements apply to: 

• proper accommodation; 
• the required size of space; 
• availability of necessary furniture, home appliances and other durable goods; 
• the availability of conditions for child development. 

Ukrainian legislation says nothing about the square meters for each adopted child, but rather the visual form of the place where the child will sleep and spend his/her time plays the key role. 

The local Service for Children’s Rights determines the compliance of the place with the housing and living standards, which as a result provide the adoptive parents with the Act of the survey of living conditions.

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If you have read this material and meet all these requirements - your chances of adoption in Ukraine are quite high. You should get up the nerve, because the adoption procedure consists of many stages and is associated with stress and long wait. But we believe that the result is worth it.

If you need help with the entire adoption procedure in Ukraine, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will provide you with the necessary legal support.

Learn more about the adoption process in Ukraine here