Adopting from Belgium

Hague Convention Information

Belgium is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Therefore all adoptions between Belgium and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.

Belgium is not considered a country of origin in intercountry adoption. While legally possible, intercountry adoption of a Belgian orphan by foreigners is unlikely. No Belgian orphans have received U.S. immigrant visas in the past five fiscal years. The information provided is intended primarily to assist in extremely rare adoption cases from Belgium, including adoptions of Belgian children by relatives in the United States, as well as adoptions from third countries by Americans living in Belgium.

Who Can Adopt

Adoption between the United States and Belgium is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore to adopt from Belgium, 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). Learn more.

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

Residency

Prospective adoptive parents must be residents of Belgium to adopt.

Age of Adopting Parents

Minimum age to adopt is 25, and the minimum age difference between the prospective adoptive parents and the adopted child is 15 years. For the adoption of a child of the spouse/cohabiting partner, the minimum age is 18 and the minimum age difference is 10 years.

Marriage

To adopt together prospective adoptive parents must be married, be legally registered as a cohabiting couple or have lived together on an ongoing basis and having an emotional commitment for at least three years.

Income

Income is discussed in the home study. There are no minimum requirements but the prospective adoptive parents must be able to take financial care of an adopted child .

Other

N/A

After Adoption

SOURCE

Intercountry Adoption, Bureau of Consular Affairs. U.S. Department of State Country Information