Considering Adoption
What is Adoption Service?
． The aim of adoption service is to find permanent and stable homes for children whose parents are unable or unwilling to take care of them until they reach adulthood.
． Adoption is a life-long commitment for every adopter.
． The best interests of the children is our paramount consideration in the adoption arrangement.
Who are the children in need of adoption?
． These children may have been abandoned or have parents who are unmarried, mentally ill or mentally handicapped, or have history of drug addiction.
． These children have the same need for enjoying family life and growing up in a caring and nurturing environment.
Who are likely to become successful applicants?
Applicants who:
． are at least 25 years old and mature enough to make a life-long commitment to adopt a child and to take up parental responsibilities,
． have good physical and mental health without serious illness/disability and are thus able to raise the children till independence,
． are reasonably educated, preferably with at least primary 6 standard, in order to provide the necessary guidance to the child,
． have stable employment and financial sufficiency, and a stable accommodation to bring up a child,
． have resided in Hong Kong for 12 months or above so as to get familiar with the social environment and community resources, and can stay for a continual period of 12 months or more to complete the adoption process,
． are married couples with stable marriage (at least married for 3 years) to provide the children with stable homes, and
． have no criminal record.
Who may make arrangements for the adoption of a child?
· According to the Adoption Ordinance, only the Director of Social Welfare, an accredited body or a person acting in pursuance of an order of the Court may deal with applications for unrelated adoption and make arrangements for the adoption of a child.
· No person other than those stated above shall make arrangement for the adoption of a child or place a child for adoption. Also, it shall not be lawful for any person, except the persons and bodies stated above, to take or send a child residing in Hong Kong to any place outside Hong Kong with a view to the adoption of the child by any person not being a parent or relative of the child. A person who contravenes shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to a fine and to imprisonment.
What process will adoption applicants undergo?
． Applicants (married couple/single person) have to undergo a thorough home study in assessing their capability to become suitable adoptive parents, and to go through the legal proceedings in accordance with the Adoption Ordinance.
． The assessment covers the applicants' personality, interests, early life experience, coping abilities, marital stability, parenting attitudes and capacities, adoption motivation, abilities in meeting the needs and developing the potentials of the children being adopted, etc.
． The applicants are required to undergo a mandatory criminal record check.
． The Court will examine each application to ensure that the adoption is in the best welfare interests of the child before an Adoption Order is granted.
Fee Charging
． For cases appointing the Director of Social Welfare as the guardian ad litem of the to-be-adopted child in the adoption application, a payment of HK$3,970* will be charged. (*subject to regular revision)
Exit of Service
Services by the Adoption Unit will be terminated under the following circumstances:
． Completion of all necessary adoption procedures, including granting of adoption order and that the applicants require no other service from the Adoption Unit.
． The applicants decide to stop the adoption proceedings after discussing the matter thoroughly with their social workers.
． The applicants are found not eligible for adoption.
If you are interested in making an adoption application or want to know more about the details of the procedures, please contact our Intake Worker at:
Phone : 3595 1935
Fax : 3595 0025
Email :
Postal : Adoption Unit, Social Welfare Department, Room 201, 2/F.,North Point Government Offices, 333 Java Road, North Point, Hong Kong
June 2017