Domestic Adoption

Domestic adoption refers to the situation where a child who is resident in Ireland is adopted by a couple also resident in Ireland. The nature and effect of an Irish adoption order is that the child becomes the child of the adopters as if born to them in marriage with all the rights and duties of parents and children in relation to each other. Please note that Irish adoption legislation only allows for the adoption of a child.

A child is defined as a person who has not yet reached eighteen years of age. It is not possible for a person eighteen years of age or older to be adopted in Ireland.

There are four different types of domestic adoption –

• Stepfamily
• Extended family/Relative adoption
• Domestic Infant adoption
• Long term foster care to adoption.

You can find out more about domestic adoption here.