Can my adopted child come to live in the United Kingdom?
This page explains the additional requirements an adopted child must meet in order to join you in the United Kingdom.
You should also read Can my child join me if I am a permanent resident of the United Kingdom? or Can my child join me if I have temporary permission to live in the United Kingdom? for information on the rules that apply to all children wishing to join a parent in the United Kingdom. The requirements below are additional to those rules and apply only to children who are adopted.
If this page does not answer all your questions, you can Contact us.
You may bring your adopted child to the United Kingdom if you, or your child, can show that he/she:
- was adopted when both parents lived together abroad or when either parent was settled in the United Kingdom;
- has the same rights as any other child of the adoptive parents;
- was adopted because his/her original parents could not care for him/her and there has been a genuine transfer of parental responsibility;
- has broken all ties with his/her original family; and
- was not adopted just to make it easier to enter the United Kingdom.
your child must obtain permission to enter the United Kingdom before travelling here. We call this permission 'entry clearance'. It will be in the form of a visa or entry clearance certificate. To obtain it, he/she should apply to the British diplomatic post in the country where he/she lives. For information about visas, see our visa services website.
A foreign adoption order will only be recognised in the United Kingdom if it was made in what we call a 'designated country'. This means a country that is included in the Adoption (Designation of Overseas Adoptions) Order 1973. The current list of these countries can be found on the website of the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
If your child was adopted in a designated country, he/she will normally be given permission to stay in the United Kingdom permanently if:
- both you and the child's other parent are settled here; or
- both you and the child?s other parent have permission to settle here permanently and you are entering the country together with the child; or
- you have permission to settle here permanently and you are entering the country together with the child, and the other parent is already settled here; or
- you have sole responsibility for the child.
If your child was adopted in a designated country and is coming to the United Kingdom with a parent who has permission to stay here temporarily (we call this 'limited leave to remain') he/she will be allowed to stay for up to 12 months.
If the adoption order was made in a country that is not designated, the child can apply to come to the United Kingdom to be adopted through the courts here. In this case, the child will be allowed to stay here for up to two years.
Your child will only become a British citizen automatically if you adopted him/her through the United Kingdom courts and at least one of the adoptive parents was a British citizen when the adoption order was made.
Intercountry adoption
If your child is coming to the United Kingdom so that he/she can be adopted by you here under the Hague Convention on intercountry adoption, he/she must:
- be joining one or two prospective parents who are both habitually resident in the United Kingdom and are able to support and house the child in accommodation of which they are the sole occupiers without help from public funds (see Rights and responsibilities for more information on what this means);
- be the subject of an agreement made under the Hague Convention; and
- have been entrusted to the prospective parents by the authorities of the country from which he/she is coming; and
- be under the age of 18.
This is just a brief guide to the immigration rules on intercountry adoption. You must also meet other requirements before you will be allowed to adopt a child from another country. You can find more information on adoption laws and procedures on the website of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. You should also read our more detailed guidance Intercountry adoption and the immigration rule (PDF 251K opens in a new window).
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Terms explained
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Habitual residence
Proven close link with a country that shows that country is where you normally live. Proof of habitual residence would be the length of time you have spent in the country, the continuity and general nature of the residence.
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Hague Convention
The 1993 Hague Convention on intercountry adoption aims to prevent the abduction of, the sale of, and illegal trafficking of children. It requires that intercountry adoption happens only when it is in the child's best interests, that all adopters are assessed and approved as suitable to adopt and that no profit is made from the adoption process.
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Limited leave to remain
Permission to stay in the United Kingdom temporarily, for the length of time stated on your visa.