Child adoption services

What are the stages of the adoption process?

• Registration of a parent candidate;
• Determining whether adoption is in the best interests of the child;
• Accepting a court decision on adoption.

How is adoption determined in the best interests of the child?

• Registration of a parent candidate;
• Conducting an interview with the person(s) who want to adopt;
• Involvement of parent candidates in trainings;
• Selection of a child suitable for a parent candidate, and a parent candidate suitable for a child;
• Organization of meetings between the parent candidate and the child in the institution where the child is located;
• Temporary placement of the child in the home of the adoptive parent candidate.

What documents are required for registration of parents-candidates in the adoption process?

• Application of the parent-candidate and persons living with him/her (common household), certified by a notarized electronic signature;
• Personal information about parent-candidates (surname, name, patronymic, sex, date of birth, place of birth, PIN, place of residence including actual place of residence (address), and citizenship);
• Health certificate issued by the State Agency for Compulsory Medical Insurance based on a visual medical examination of the parent-candidate, confirming the presence of diseases that do not allow adoption (including a psychiatrist’s opinion) for both the parent-candidate and his/her cohabitants;
• Information on marital status (number and date of marriage or divorce certificate);
• Information on place of work (including position), salary, and other income (including a bank statement for the last 12 months);
• Information on owned real estate, including vehicles;
• Information on conviction (date of conviction, type and duration of sentence, date of release, and grounds for release);
• Information on alimony, credit, and other obligations;
• In case of adoption of a close relative (sister, brother, granddaughter, brother’s or sister’s child, children of parents’ sister or brother), confirmation of kinship (copy of birth certificate);In the case of foreigners and stateless persons, information on the migration document (number, date of issue, validity period, and basis for issuance).

Note 1: These documents are obtained based on information integrated into the subsystem by the relevant authorities.
If it is not possible to obtain this information from information systems, the submission of these documents shall be requested from the relevant authority upon the request of the citizen or provided directly by the citizen.

Note 2: Additional documents and information may be obtained, with the consent of the parent-candidates, family members, and persons living with them, in order to determine whether the adoption is in the best interests of the child.

What is the minimum age for adoption?

The age requirement is considered to be 25 years for married individuals and 30 years for unmarried individuals (except for stepfathers/stepmothers and close relatives such as siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles on the parents’ side, and their children).
Note: In cases deemed justified, this age limit may be increased or decreased by a court decision.

What is the age difference between the parent-candidate and the child he or she wants to adopt?

The age difference between the parent-candidate and the child he/she wishes to adopt must not be less than 18 years.
(Except for stepfathers/stepmothers and close relatives such as siblings, grandparents, aunts/uncles on the parents’ side, and their children).
Note: In cases deemed justified, this age limit may be increased or decreased by a court decision.

Who cannot adopt a child?

• Persons who have been declared legally incapable or of limited legal capacity by a court;
• Persons deprived of parental rights or whose parental rights have been restricted by a court;
• Persons dismissed from the positions of guardians or trustees for failure to perform their legal duties;
• Persons previously found guilty by a court and whose rights have been revoked;
• Persons who are unable to perform parental duties due to health conditions;
• Persons convicted of intentional serious or especially serious crimes against peace and humanity, public safety and morality, life and health, personal freedom and dignity, sexual inviolability and freedom, minors, or family relations—regardless of whether the sentence has been served or the conviction removed; as well as persons whose criminal prosecution for such crimes was terminated without justification;
• Persons currently under criminal prosecution;
• Unmarried foreigners and stateless persons.

Diseases that disqualify individuals from adopting a child include:

• Tuberculosis (Groups I, II, and V under dispensary observation);
• All types of infectious diseases;
• Grade III and IV malignancies, regardless of localization;
• Mental and behavioral disorders until the end of dispensary observation;
• Drug addiction, substance dependence, and alcoholism.

What should be the average monthly income per capita in the family to adopt a child?

• The average monthly income per capita in the family, including the child to be adopted, must not be less than the amount of the national subsistence minimum for each family member.
  (This requirement does not apply to stepfathers, stepmothers, and close relatives such as siblings, grandparents, parents’ sisters or brothers, and their children.)
• For foreigners and stateless persons wishing to adopt a child, the average monthly per capita income must not be less than twice the average monthly salary in their country of citizenship.

What steps are not taken when a child is adopted by a stepfather or stepmother?

• Interviewing the person (persons) wishing to adopt a child;
• Involving the person (persons) wishing to adopt a child in trainings;
• Selecting the right child for the person who wants to adopt, and the right parent for the adopted child  ;
• Arranging meetings between the person(s) wishing to adopt and the child at the institution where the child is located;
• Placing the adopted child in the home of the person(s) wishing to adopt during the probationary period.

Note 1: There is no income requirement for a stepfather (or stepmother). Also, the lower age limit of the parent-candidate, as well as the age difference between the child and the parent-candidate, are not taken into account.

Note 2: A stepfather (or stepmother) who wishes to adopt a child who has lost both parents is subject to registration, interview, training, meeting with the child, and probationary period—that is, all stages.

What stages do not apply to the adoption of a child by mutual consent of non-relatives?

• Selection of a suitable child for the parent candidate;
• Meeting between the parent candidate and the child at the institution.

In what cases is parental consent not required in the adoption process?

• If the parents have been deprived of parental rights and a period of 1 year has elapsed, or if they are considered incapable or unaccounted for in accordance with the law;
• If the parents have not lived with the child for more than 6 months, refuse to participate in the child’s upbringing or custody despite warnings from the guardianship and custody authorities, and do not show parental attention and care to the child.

What is the procedure for interviewing parents-candidates?

Within 10 working days after the registration of the parent-candidate, an interview is conducted by the social worker for work with parents of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population at the home of the parent-candidate. At the end of the interview, the social worker for children examines the financial and living conditions of the parent-candidate.

What is the duration of the training for parents-candidates?

Parents-candidates who pass the interview are involved in trainings lasting no more than 30 (thirty) days.
Note: Foreigners and stateless persons who submit a document confirming adoption training in their home country are not involved in the training.
Note: Participation in trainings is mandatory.

What is the duration of the child's meeting with the parent-candidate in the institution where the child is located?

Meetings are held for 2 (two) months, with at least 40 (forty) hours per month. For children aged 0 to 1, the duration of the meetings may be reduced to 12 (twelve) hours within 20 (twenty) days.
Note: Foreigners and stateless persons living outside the Republic of Azerbaijan must meet with children in institutions for a total of 40 hours within 2 weeks.

How is a child temporarily placed in the home of a parent-candidate for a probationary period?

According to the results of the meetings between the child and the parent-candidate, the child is temporarily placed in the parent-candidate’s house for a probationary period of 3 (three) months, based on an agreement between the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population and the parent-candidate.

What is the period of monitoring?

After the court decision on adoption comes into force, supervision is carried out quarterly during the first year until the child reaches the age of 18, and once a year thereafter.