International Adoptions

A lot of people have asked me if it is possible to adopt a child from Romania.  Sadly, the answer is no.  International adoptions were banned in 2007, and the government has been vehement about affirming that ban.


Perhaps even more sadly, domestic adoption is rare in Romania, probably because of a procedure that can make it all but impossible.


I asked a contact in Romania whether it is true that, even with domestic adoptions, family members have to consent, including grandparents, aunts and uncles, and attest that they do not want the child.  Here's his answer:

"Yes it is true. Also, the biological parents MUST show up in court (when and if they can be found) to give their personal consent at each stage of the adoption process (there are essentially 3 stages) and can decide to say, 'No!' at any one of those stages (including the final one). This requirement holds even for any person who has been 'stripped' of their parental rights, even if they don't want the child and have abandoned him. The family (and particularly the bio parents) retain the right to say, 'No!' to the child being adopted."

So, in short, international adoption is impossible, and domestic adoption is virtually impossible, even for children who have been abandoned and/or whose parent have had their rights terminated due to neglect or abuse, and even when there is nobody else in the world who wants that child.