Conditions

• Adoption by persons, one of whom is with habitually residency in Bulgaria , is admissible under the provisions of the Family Code. When the adoptive child is with habitually residency in Bulgaria , the approval of the Minister of Justice is required and the Sofia City Court completes the adoption.
• A child with habitually residency in Bulgaria, who is turned one and is entered into the Register of the Ministry of Justice, may be adopted by a person with habitually residency abroad who has submitted a permit for adoption of a child in accordance with his habitually residency country law and who is recorded in the register of the Ministry of Justice.
• Adoption is full and is admissible only between an adoptive parent and an adoptive child who are entered into in the registers of the Ministry of Justice.
• The adoptive parent shall be at least fifteen years older than the adoptive child. The law does not stipulate maximum age difference, but the law of the adoptive parent should also be taken into account.
• There is no legal impediment for the adoption of a child by one single adoptive parent, while spouses adopt simultaneously. Twins must be adopted together.

Rights and Obligations of

• may and undertakes to carry out the following actual and legal actions before the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Bulgaria:



1. Submit to the Ministry of Justice the application for adoption and the documents of the adoptive parent as well as any other information about him as may be necessary for safeguarding the interests of the child;
2. Submit to the Ministry of Justice the application for adoption together with the whole file;
3. Notify the Ministry of Justice of the approval or denial of adoption of the offered child, expressed by the adoptive parent;
4. Submit to the Ministry of Justice a certified transcript of the court decision on admission of the adoption within 7 days from its entry into force, as well as any other information and any other acts of circumstances related to the child;
5. Submit, every six months, to the Ministry of Justice a report on the condition of the child for a period of up to 2 years after adoption thereof; the report shall furthermore contain assessment of the accredited organization of the living conditions, the child’s progress, the level of physical, mental and emotional development, his/her attachment to the adoptive parents, the parental care and skills, the measures for encouraging the cultural identity of the child and others;
6. Mediate in issuing a permit for the child’s exit from the country of origin and for entry in the receiving country, as well as a permit for permanent residence of the child in the recipient country;

• may and undertakes to perform the following legal and actual actions in accordance with the written contract with its clients – prospective adoptive parents:



1. Provide to the adoptive parent detailed information about adoption rights and obligations and the legal consequences arising from full adoption in compliance with the applicable laws in the countries whose citizens are the adoptive child and the adoptive parent as well as the country of residence of the adoptive parent;
2. Acquaint the clients, prior to the conclusion of the contract, with the information specified in detail in Art. 55, § 1 of Regulation No. 3 of 03.09.2003 of the Ministry of Justice;
3. Prepare and file with the Ministry of Justice the application of the adoptive parent and enclose to it all the documents required in law in the original and in translation into the Bulgarian language with the relevant certifications;
4. Mediate in the establishment of a contact between the nominated adoptive parent and the adoptive child and provide to the adoptive parent the report prepared by the Ministry of Justice on the personal data of the adoptive child, its medical condition, social status, a photo and, where necessary, video recordings and other materials about the child;
5. Notify the adoptive parent of the approval of the Minister of Justice under Art. 136, § 1 of the Family Code;
6. Ensure representation of the adoptive parent in court;
7. Ensure safety and proper conditions for transportation of the child and upon decision of the adoptive parents carry out the transportation or ensure the child’s accompanying;
8. Forward to Bulgarian citizens wishing to adopt a child, who is a foreign citizen, the information about the specific child, submitted by the relevant body or organization;
9. Take actions to ensure the return of the child to the country of origin in the event the decision of the Bulgarian Court is not acknowledged in the recipient country up to one year from entry into force thereof and monitor the condition of the child during that period;
10. Provide accessible and suitable premises to the clients, creating conditions for keeping the secrecy of clients’ identity and of stored and incoming information.

In carrying out its activity shall monitor the required time frames and stages of the adoption process and take the necessary actions with due care.