The Dutch government stopped all new intercountry adoptions in May 2024, after an inquiry into fraud and child trafficking in the system.
That leaves two routes, and one of them is closing.
Around 590 cases already in progress before the halt may run to 1 May 2030, after which adopting a child from abroad while resident in the Netherlands will not be possible at all.
Domestic adoption through the courts remains open, but roughly twenty Dutch children a year are placed, and most of those are step-parent or partner adoptions of a child already in the household.
If you are not already raising the child, the realistic answer is that this route is close to unavailable.
Everything below is about what remains, what it demands and how long it takes.
The Two Remaining Routes
Domestic Adoption Through The Courts
The common case is a step-parent or a same-sex partner formalising their relationship with a child they already help raise.
Adoption of a child you do not know, sometimes called stranger adoption, is legally possible and very rare.
Eligibility is set out by Het Juridisch Loket, and every requirement must be met before a court will consider the request.
The decision rests with the district court, not with an agency.
Finishing An Intercountry Case Started Before May 2024
Cases already in the system continue under the previous rules, with the 2030 deadline as the outer limit.
Fiom is the organisation the government directs these families to, and it remains the point of contact for post-adoption reporting.
Reports back to the child’s country of origin are usually required, and that obligation does not end when the adoption does.
Details of what is and is not still possible are published by Netherlands Worldwide.
Who May Adopt
You must be at least 18, and at least 18 years older than the child.
The child must be a minor, and a child of 12 or over is heard by the court in person - a serious objection from them stops the adoption.
Grandparents may not adopt their own grandchildren.
Single applicants and couples are both eligible, subject to the same tests.
A couple applying together must have lived together for at least three years before the application.
The applicant must also have cared for and raised the child for at least one year, and both facts have to be documented - a cohabitation agreement, or the shared registration in the Personal Records Database.
The Raad voor de Kinderbescherming assesses suitability and reports to the court, and its investigation covers background checks, finances and psychological assessment.
An expiring residence permit counts against an application, because the court is weighing whether the household will still exist in ten years.
If your immigration position is not settled, take family-law advice before you begin rather than after the report is written.
You can find specialists through the Amsterdam lawyers guide.
The Court Process, Step By Step
1. Establish Eligibility
Speak to a licensed adoption organisation or a family lawyer and confirm you meet every condition before spending anything.
Nothing is committed at this stage.
2. The Home Study
A social worker conducts the gezinsonderzoek: home visits, interviews and a written report on whether the household can offer a stable environment.
Expect several meetings spread over months, and expect inconsistencies between sessions to be noticed.
3. The Application
Your lawyer files the request with the district court; you cannot do this without legal representation.
The court grants an adoption only where it serves the child’s interests, every legal condition is satisfied, and both birth parents consent - with narrow statutory exceptions.
The Child Protection Board and the court work through the case together, a process set out in detail by specialist family law practices.
4. Timelines And Cost
A step-parent or partner adoption can complete in a few months.
A stranger adoption runs for years, with no guarantee of a match at the end of it.
The bill is the lawyer’s fee plus the court’s griffierecht, which is set annually and published on rechtspraak.nl.
Ask for a fixed fee in writing, and check whether you qualify for subsidised legal aid at rechtsbijstand.nl before agreeing to an hourly rate.
Recognising An Adoption Made Abroad
An adoption completed in another country is not automatically valid here.
Only adoptions that satisfy Dutch law are registered in the Personal Records Database, and each case is assessed individually - the City of The Hague sets out the registration requirements.
Where the adoption took place in a country party to the Hague Adoption Convention, recognition is usually straightforward.
Where it did not, a Dutch court may have to issue a fresh decision, and the child must still be a minor at that point.
Documents will need an apostille and a translation by a sworn translator, and in some cases further legalisation.
A name spelled one way on a passport and another on a birth certificate is enough to stall the file for months, so check every document against every other before submitting.
