Adoption Opportunities has been accredited by the Central Authority of Latvia.
Latvia is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). Intercountry adoption processing in Hague countries is done in accordance with the requirements of the Convention, as well as the implementing legislation and regulations of Latvia.
Who can adopt:
- Residency: There are no residency requirements for prospective adoptive parents.
- Age Requirements: Under Latvian law, there are no formal, legal restrictions on the age of prospective adoptive parents. In practice, however, prospective adoptive parents have to be minimum 25 years old and at least 18 years older than the child.
- Marriage Requirements: Both married and single prospective adoptive parents are permitted to adopt a child in Latvia. Latvia does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions; therefore same-sex couples are unable to adopt a child in Latvia.
- Income: Latvia does not have any specific income requirements for inter country
adoptions. - To determine if a parent-child relationship exists and whether the adoption is in the child’s best interest, Latvian orphan courts have the authority to require that adoptive parents take care of the adoptive child(ren) and share a household in Latvia for a set amount of time.
Who can be adopted:
- sibling group of three (3) or more children;
- a child over age nine (9);
- a child with severe health problems;
- a child released for inter country adoption by the Ministry of Welfare because
he or she has not been adopted by Latvians; or - any adoptable child, regardless of the child’s age or health condition, if at
least one of prospective adoptive parents is a Latvian citizen or holds Latvian
non-citizen resident (alien) status.
Adoption Opportunities has access to a list of waiting children available for adoption which is updated regularly by the Latvian Authorities.
Time Frame:
From the time of dossier submission, the timeframe to complete international adoption from Latvia is currently about 6 to 9 months. The total adoption process time can vary depending on the time families take to complete their dossier paperwork, their preferences for age and gender, and country processes. This timeframe is subject to change;