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Guidance on registering a convention or overseas adoption in the Adopted Children Register (accessible)

Updated 25 October 2024

Applies to England and Wales

Information for applicants

This leaflet provides guidance for people who wish to apply to have a Convention or Overseas Adoption registered by the Registrar General for England and Wales.

A Convention adoption is one made under the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption. The UK implemented the Convention on 1 June 2003.

An Overseas Adoption is either:

1. An adoption in a country named in The Adoption (Designation of Overseas Adoptions) Order 1973 or The Adoption (Designation of Overseas Adoptions) (Variation) Order 1993 effected under the law of that country before 3 January 2014; or

2. An adoption in a country named in The Adoption (Recognition of Overseas Adoptions) Order 2013 effected under the law of that country on or after 3 January 2014.

No other overseas adoption can be registered in the Adopted Children Register.

A Convention or Overseas Adoption may only be registered in the Adopted Children Register by the Registrar General for England and Wales if the adoptive parent(s) were habitually resident in England or Wales at the time of the adoption.

Countries recognised as Overseas/Convention countries

The countries named on The Adoption (Designation of Overseas Adoptions) Order 1973/ The Adoption (Designation of Overseas Adoptions)(Variation) Order 1993 are:

• Anguilla
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Belize
• Bermuda
• Botswana
• British Virgin Islands
• Canada
• Cayman Islands
• China (but only where the child was adopted on or after 5 April 1993 and was living in England or Wales on or after 10 July 1995)
• Cyprus
• Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroes)
• Dominica
• Fiji
• Finland
• France (including Reunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guyana)
• Germany
• Ghana
• Gibraltar
• Greece
• Guyana
• Hong Kong
• Iceland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Luxembourg
• Malawi
• Malaysia
• Malta
• Montserrat
• Mauritius
• Namibia
• New Zealand
• Nigeria
• Norway
• Pitcairn Island
• Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Spain (including the Balearics and Canary Islands)
• Sri Lanka
• St Christopher and Nevis
• St Vincent
• Surinam
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Tanzania
• The Netherlands (including the Antilles)
• The Republic of Ireland
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Turkey
• Uganda
• United States of America
• Yugoslavia (but none of the states which make up the former Yugoslavia)
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe

The countries named on The Adoption (Recognition of Overseas Adoptions) Order 2013 are:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Armenia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azerbaijan
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Canada
• Cape Verde
• Chile
• The People’s Republic of China
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Cuba
• The Republic of Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands)
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Georgia
• Germany
• Greece
• Guinea
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• The Republic of Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Latvia
• Lesotho
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
• Madagascar
• Mali
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• The Republic of Moldova
• Monaco
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• The Netherlands (including the Caribbean part of the Netherlands (the Islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba))
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Philippines
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Rwanda
• San Marino
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Africa
• Spain
• Sri Lanka
• Swaziland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Togo
• Turkey
• The United States of America
• Uruguay
• Venezuela
• Vietnam

At 16 October 2024, the Hague Convention countries are:

All countries named above on The Adoption (Recognition of Overseas Adoptions) Order 2013 along with Botswana, Niger, Croatia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Congo, Honduras, Guyana, Ghana, Benin, Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Côte D’Ivoire, Zambia, Angola and Haiti.

How and where to apply

An application to register a Convention or Overseas Adoption may be made by:

• the adoptive parent (or in the case of an adoption by a couple, one of the adoptive parents), or

• any other person who has parental responsibility for the adopted child (within the meaning of Section 3 of the Children Act 1989), or

• the adopted person themselves if aged 18 or over.

To make an application please complete and sign the application form (ACR 52) (Application for a Convention or Overseas Adoption in the Adopted Children Register), and send the completed form with the supporting documents described below to this address.

Adoptions
General Register Office
HM Passport Office
Trafalgar Road
Southport
Merseyside
PR8 2HH

You may wish to consider sending the application using secure post.

A Welsh language version of the application form (ACR 52W) is available upon request (see contact details at the end of this guidance).

If the application is not made in the English or Welsh language, it must include an official translation into English.

Guidance on completing the application form (ACR 52)

• Please complete all boxes in black ink and in block capitals.

• If you do not have the information requested, mark the box ‘Not Known’.

• If you only have partial details available, please complete as much information as you are able to provide in the relevant box.

• It is important that you provide as much information as possible to enable a registration to be made in the Adopted Children Register.

• Date of birth: Where only a partial date of birth is known then at least the year of birth should be provided. With multiple births (twins, triplets etc) please provide the time of birth, where this is known.

• Place and country of birth of the adopted child – If the town or province of birth is not known then at least the country of birth should be provided.

• The applicant’s details should state the forename and surname in full.

• The capacity of person making the application should state the relationship to the adopted child i.e. adoptive parent, other person with parental responsibility or adopted person over 18 years of age.

• It is important you tick the relevant box to show where the adoptive parent(s) where habitually resident at the time of the adoption. If it was in Wales, the adoption will be registered with the headings in the entry shown in both English and Welsh and form ACR 52W should be completed. This will allow the applicant the option of having the adopted child’s details shown either in English or in English and Welsh.

• Habitual residency: If an English or Welsh address is not shown in the supporting documents mentioned above please supply proof of address at the time the adoption was effected i.e. utility bill/council tax bill etc.

Supporting documents

Evidence of the adoption

GRO will need to see documentary evidence of the adoption with an official translation if it is not in English.

This evidence will be:

With a Convention adoption

The Article 23 certificate or the certificate confirming that an adoption had been made as a Convention adoption in accordance with Article 23 of The Hague Convention. This certificate will be the one sent to the adoptive parent(s) by the authorities in the country where the adoption took place.

With an overseas adoption

The original adoption order (translated) or a certified copy of an entry made in a public register to the recording of adoptions, from the country or territory where the adoption took place that shows the adoption has been effected.

Or a certificate that the adoption has been effected, signed by a person authorised to do so by the law of the country where the adoption took place.

Please note: GRO cannot accept certified copies/notarised copies from solicitors.

Evidence of parental responsibility

If the application is being made by a person with parental responsibility, GRO will require documentary evidence of that the applicant has parental responsibility for the child.

Evidence of identity

If the application is being made by the adopted adult themselves, GRO will require documentary evidence of the identity of the applicant i.e. passport, driving license.

In all cases, if the documentary evidence is not in English or Welsh, GRO will need an official translation of documentary evidence that has been signed and authorised by the translator with his/her name, address and occupation and a statement that the translation is true and accurate

What will happen to the application and supporting evidence?

GRO will look at the application and supporting evidence to confirm that we are able to register the adoption in the Adopted Children Register.

If we have any queries with the application we will contact you either by letter, email or telephone.

When we have registered the adoption in the Adopted Children Register you will receive a letter confirming the entry has been made in the register, and how to order copies of a short or full certificate. A full certificate is needed for most legal and administrative purposes and it is the full certificate that will be required to support your child’s passport application. The supporting evidence will also be returned to you by secure post at the same time.

You can request a certificate application form to obtain either a short or full certificate by contacting the GRO call centre on 0300 123 1837, quoting your customer reference from the letter. You will be advised of the current certificate fees.

Please note: For most official purposes a full adoption certificate will be required.

Further information

If you have any questions about the application process you can contact GRO:

In writing:

Adoptions
General Register Office
HM Passport Office
Trafalgar Road
Southport
Merseyside
PR8 2HH

By telephone: 0300 123 1837

By email: adoptions@gro.gov.uk