Who Can Adopt from France

Notre Dame Cathedral.
Source: Wikipedia.org.

Adoption between the United States and France is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore to adopt from France, you must first be found eligible to adopt by the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government agency responsible for making this determination is the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Read more on Who Can Adopt.

In addition to these U.S. requirements for prospective adoptive parents, France also has the following requirements for prospective adoptive parents:

Residency

A foreigner who resides outside of France, and wishes to complete an intercountry adoption of a child residing in France, does not need to establish residency in France. A foreigner who wishes to adopt a child, whether in France or elsewhere, for the purpose of residing in France with the child, must be a permanent resident of France.

Age of Adopting Parents

For domestic and intercountry adoptions, a couple must be married for a minimum of two years or, if married less than two years, both spouses must be at least 28 years old. A single person can adopt provided he/she is at least 28 years old; however, in practice, it is very difficult to get approval. There is no age limit if one of the spouses wishes to adopt the other spouse's child. There is no age maximum. Adopting parents must be at least 15 years older than the child they want to adopt (10 years in the case of the other spouse's child).

Marriage

For domestic and intercountry adoptions, a couple must be married for a minimum of two years or, if married less than two years, both spouses must be at least 28 years old. A single person can adopt provided he/she is at least 28 years old; however, in practice, it is very difficult to get approval. There is no age limit if one of the spouses wishes to adopt the other spouse's child. There is no age maximum. Adopting parents must be at least 15 years older than the child they want to adopt (10 years in the case of the other spouse's child).

Income

Prospective parents must prove that they can provide for the child but there is no minimum income requirement.

Other

None.

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