Who can adopt a child and how does the procedure work?
Conditional — you may adopt, but only under strict conditions and a suitability assessment. Under the Family Act an adopter may be a person who has turned 21 and who is at least 18 years older than the child; exceptionally also someone younger than 21, if there are particularly justified reasons. A child is adopted up to the age of 18, where this is in the child's best interest. Here a common myth falls: a single person can adopt too — a child is adopted jointly by married and cohabiting partners, but exceptionally also by a person who is not married. Another myth is that adoption is "cancelled if it does not work out": Croatia has only full adoption, which creates an indissoluble kinship as by birth and cannot be revoked. The procedure is conducted ex officio by the Croatian Social Work Institute (which took over the tasks of the former social welfare centres), assessing suitability and issuing an opinion within six months.
📋 The rules
- Adopter age: an adopter has turned 21 and is at least 18 years older than the child (Family Act).
- Age exception: exceptionally an adopter may be younger than 21 if there are particularly justified reasons.
- Who adopts: a child is adopted jointly by married or cohabiting partners; one partner with the consent of the other, and exceptionally a person who is not married.
- Who runs it: the procedure is conducted ex officio by the Croatian Social Work Institute according to the child's residence.
- Permanence: only full adoption exists — it creates indissoluble kinship and cannot be revoked.
🔓 Exceptions
- Parental consent: adoption as a rule requires the consent of the child's parents, except in cases set by law (for example, a parent deprived of parental care or of unknown whereabouts).
- Who cannot adopt: an adopter cannot be a person deprived of parental care or legal capacity, nor one whose parenthood would be contrary to the child's welfare.
- Intercountry adoption: adoption abroad is allowed only exceptionally and with the ministry's consent, where an adopter cannot be found in Croatia.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Adoption is not a matter of fines, but its consequences are permanent and far-reaching. Because it is indissoluble, adoption ends the child's rights and duties toward the biological family, and the adopters gain full parental rights — as if the child were born in the marriage. It also means the adoptee becomes a statutory and forced heir of the adopters, who cannot easily be bypassed by will. Bypassing the procedure is dangerous: "private" handovers of a child outside the Social Work Institute are unlawful and can lead to removal of the child and criminal liability. If the Institute refuses a positive suitability opinion, the adoption cannot proceed, and an administrative dispute follows, with added cost and lost time. The only safe route is therefore the regular procedure before the competent authority.
📎 Official sources
- Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy — adoption →
- zakon.hr — Family Act (adoption) →
- gov.hr — adoption (procedure and conditions) →
❓ Frequently asked
Can a single person adopt a child?
Yes, but only exceptionally. A child is as a rule adopted jointly by married or cohabiting partners, yet the Family Act allows an adopter to be a person who is not married if that is in the child's best interest.
How old must an adopter be?
An adopter must have turned 21 and be at least 18 years older than the child being adopted. Exceptionally an adopter may be younger than 21 if there are particularly justified reasons, assessed by the competent authority.
Can an adoption be undone later?
No, Croatia has only full adoption, which creates indissoluble kinship as if the child were born in the marriage. It cannot be revoked, not even by agreement, and the adopters take on all parental rights and duties permanently.
Who runs the adoption procedure?
The procedure is conducted ex officio by the Croatian Social Work Institute, which took over the tasks of the former social welfare centres. It assesses the suitability of prospective adopters and issues an opinion within six months.
Does an adopted child inherit from the adopters?
Yes, through adoption the child becomes a statutory heir of the adopters and has a right to a forced share like a biological child. At the same time its inheritance rights toward the biological family end, because the legal tie to it is severed.
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