The "Child Adoption Act" of 1979 regulates all foreign adoptions in Thailand. The responsible government agency is the Department of Social Development and Welfare (DSDW) of  Department of Children and Youth (DCY) which also supervises licensed but non-governmental agencies. An independent body made up of members from various ministries and departments, known as Child Adoption Board, must review and approve all inter-country adoptions. Parent-Child-Bridge works with two government-approved organisations in Thailand: DCY and Pattaya Orphanage.

Guidelines and requirements for adoption

• Adoptive parents must be at least 25 years old.
• Adoptive parents must be at least 15 years older than the child they wish to adopt.
• Adoptive parents have to be legally married.
• Adoptive parents must have the right to adopt children in accordance with the laws of the country in which they are resident.

We can only accept a limited number of applications for healthy children up to the age of 4.5 (max. 12 per year), as Thai organisations allocate quotas. However, last year we were well below our quota. Applications can also be made for children with special needs or older children (from 4.6 years of age).

The waiting period from registration of the documents on site is approximately 2-4 years, depending on the position, age and profile. The duration of the local procedure or stay is approximately 2 weeks. The children then travel to their adoptive families. After approx. 1 to 1.5 years and 3 positive integration reports, the weak adoption, as it is called in Thailand, is registered by the families at the respective Thai embassy in Germany.

As the adoption is a weak adoption under Thai law, the new parents must apply for a declaration of recognition and effectiveness and conversion under German law on their own initiative after the adoption has become legally effective under Thai law.

Currently, applications can only be submitted for children with special needs in Thailand. This group includes children from the age of 4, siblings and children with health impairments.