Adopting from Austria

Hague Convention Information

Austria 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 Austria and the United States must meet the requirements of the Convention and U.S. law implementing the Convention.

Austria is not considered a country of origin in intercountry adoption. The information provided is intended primarily to assist in extremely rare adoption cases from Austria, including adoptions of Austrian children by relatives in the United States, as well as adoptions from third countries by Americans living in Austria.

Who Can Adopt

Adoption between the United States and Austria is governed by the Hague Adoption Convention. Therefore to adopt from Austria, 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, Austria also has the following requirements for prospective adoptive parents:

Residency

The adoptive parents need to be legal residents of Austria.

Age of Adopting Parents

The adopting father must be at least 30 years old and the adopting mother 28 years old. The prospective adoptive parent must be 18 years older than the adoptee, with limited exceptions. There is no maximum age limit.

Marriage

The Austrian government prefers that the prospective adoptive parents be married, although the law does not officially specify this. If married, the couple must apply jointly. If not married, only one prospective adoptive parent may apply.

Income

N/A

Other

If the adoptive parents already have children of their own (either biological or adopted), they may have less of a chance to adopt. The adoptive parents must also meet certain personal, social, health, and economic conditions determined by the local youth welfare authority,. If they are found to be suitable an extensive home study is prepared by their social workers. In some Austrian Provinces it is obligatory for prospective adoptive parents to attend a training seminar. Finally, the adoptive parents must have no criminal record.

After Adoption

SOURCE

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