Proceeding of the intercountry adoption (Informational material of the Hungarian Ministry o Human Resources ) The Act. No. LXXX. of 2005 ratified the Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption.
Hungarian citizens who live abroad belong to the international applicants and are in the international registry. The prospective adoptive parents have to present the following documents with official Hungarian translation:
- Home study
- Proof of annual income
- Expert's opinion on aptness (psychological report)
- The home country's permission to the adoption
- Proof of nationality (for ex.: photocopy of passport)
- Statement on the purpose of adoption and expectations about the adoptee (sex, age, health)
- If they use an accredited body: proof of the competence, authorization. Some photos of the prospective adoptive parents, of their home and anything that is considered to be important in the adoptive family's life. If the prospective adoptive parents' habitual residence is in a country which is party of the Hague Convention, as the United States of America, they need to initiate the proceeding at their country's Central Authority or Accredited Body (please visit the related homepage of the Department of State).
These authorities send the documents to the Hungarian Central Authority operating in the Child- and Youth Care Department of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour. (If the prospective adoptive parents' habitual residence is in a country which is not party of the Hague Conventionthey can apply directly to the Central Authority of Hungary or they can apply through the consular office of their home country. In their case the documents can not be older than 6 months.)
The Hungarian Central Authority will report to the Central Authority of the receiving country that the adoptive parents' data are put on file or if there is any document missing. The applicants are asked by the Central Authority for replacing the missing documents within 60 days. If the application is not followed by an adoption within 2 years, the whole process must be repeated.
If the approval from the home country is valid for more than 2 years, then just the home study and the proof of the annual income have to be renewed. If there is an adoptable child for whom the experts have to look for international adoptive parents, the members of the competent district child protection service and the members of the Central Authority choose together the family that seems to be the most appropriate for the adoption of the child, regarding his/her age, physical, mental and psychological status.
The Hungarian Central Authority sends a report about the child to the competent accredited body or central authority with his/her medical, psychological opinions and some photos of him/her as well. The Hungarian Central Authority also offers the possibility for the prospective adoptive parents to meet the child. If the parents are from a country that is not party of the Hague Convention, the report is sent to them directly. If they accept the child, the applicants have to report to the Hungarian Central Authority within 30 days. If they do not accept him/her, they have to give a reason for it. The prospective adoptive parents have to agree with the experts of the competent child protection service on the date of their arrival.
The prospective adoptive parents have to bring their birth certificates and their certificate of marriage to Hungary. These documents can not be older than 3 months. After some days during the child and the adoptive parents could get to know each other and could get closer, the competent child protection service gives a proposal to the competent guardianship office on the compulsory care period that the child has to spend with the adoptive parents together.
The guardianship office makes a decision about the compulsory care period. It has to take minimum one month. During this time the couple is staying in Hungary with the child, they reside in a rented flat and are visited regularly by the experts of the child protection service and helped by them if it is needed. If this period is successfully finished, the final decision on the adoption is made by the guardianship office for the mutual petition of the adoptive parents and the guardian of the child (or the case guardian).
The authorities of the receiving countries report the Hungarian Central Authority about the adopted child's circumstances, his/her situation in the family in two months and in one year after the final decision.
For more information contact the Ministry of Human Resources.
Head office: 1055 Budapest, Szalay utca 10-14.
Postal address: 1051 Budapest, Arany János utca 6-8.
Phone: +36-1-795-1200
E-mail of the customer service: info@nefmi.gov.hu
Phone of the customer service: +36-1-795-4755
