What are the procedures for handling child adoption at the Vietnamese diplomatic and consular offices?

The procedure is as follows:

  • The adopting party shall submit his/her dossier and the dossier of the child to be adopted to the Representative Office of Vietnam overseas where the adopting party or the adopted child temporarily resides.  Should the person adopting the child be temporarily located in a country where there is no Representative Office of Vietnam overseas, he/she will submit the dossier to register the adoption at the Representative Office of Vietnam in the country where it is the most convenient;
  • The Representative Office overseas reviews the dossier and seeks the opinion of the related persons.  If the dossier for adoption is unclear, it is necessary to request the domestic agency to check and verify the information.  In such cases, the Representative Office overseas will send a document together with a photocopy of the dossier to the Child Adoption Department as well as the Consular Department, requesting verification;
  • The Representative Office of Vietnam overseas will register the adoption if the parties are determined to be qualified.  Upon the registration of the adoption, the adopting parents, natural parents, the guardian, and the child to be adopted must be present.
  • The Representative Office overseas will record in the registration book of adoption and hand over the Certificate of domestic adoption to the parties;
  • The person adopting the child receives the Certificate of domestic adoption at the Representative Office of Vietnam overseas (received at the adoption ceremony).
  • The representative Office overseas shall send a notice in writing to the Child Adoption Department and the Consular Department together with a copy of the Certificate of domestic adoption.
  • In cases where there is a rejection of the registration, the Representative Office of Vietnam overseas shall provide the reason in writing to the person adopting the child.

The dossier of adopting persons must contain:

  • A written request for domestic adoption;
  • A copy of the passport or identity card, or a valid substitute;
  • The judicial record sheet: in case the adopting person resides overseas for 06 months or more, the judicial record sheet may be issued by a competent authority of the country where the adopting person resides.
  • Written confirmation of marriage status:
    • If the adopting persons are a married couple: The Certificate of marriage.
    • If the adopting person is single: Certificate of marital status. 
  • The health certificate: If the adopting person resides abroad for 06 months or more, the health certificate may be granted by the competent authority of the country where the adopting person resides.
  • Written confirmation of family circumstances, accommodation, and economic condition: If the adopting person resides abroad for 06 months or more, a written confirmation of these characteristics shall be issued by the competent authority of the country where the person temporarily resides. 
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