Intercountry Adoption 
How to register an Intercountry Adoption
Please complete the forms below in full and return them with an original Article 23 Certificate (Hague Convention) or original Adoption Order (Non-Hague Country) issued by a competent authority in the child's country of origin. If the Article 23 Certificate or Adoption Order is not written in English, an English translation, certified by a competent translator to be an accurate translation, should also be provided.
The Adoption Authority of Ireland wishes to inform all prospective adoptive parents undertaking an intercountry adoption that, with effect from 1st February 2011, the Authority will, as a standard administrative procedure for the subsequent registration of the foreign adoption, afford particular attention to all payments made either to any entities or to any persons in connection with the administration and finalisation of the foreign adoption.
The Authority will reserve the right to seek evidence, by way of documentary proof, of the amounts of all such payments. This may require the production by adopters of original invoices for payments and original receipts of payments made.
In cases where it becomes apparent to the Authority that unreasonable levels of costs have been incurred, and/or where it appears that undocumented ‘cash’ transactions may have taken place, the Authority must reserve its express statutory rights to refuse to grant an entry into the statutory ‘Register of Intercountry Adoptions’ in respect of the adoption concerned.
- Applicants who are resident in Ireland and who were in possession of a declaration of eligibility and suitability from the Adoption Board/Adoption Authority and adopted from a Hague ratified country should complete form RIA 1 Hague
Applicants who are resident in Ireland and who were in possession of a declaration of eligibility and suitability from the Adoption Board/Adoption Authority and adopted from a non-Hague ratified country should complete form RIA 2 Non-Hague N.B. This form must be notarised.
Applicants who are not resident in Ireland and who adopted or were adopted domestically in their country of origin should complete form RIA 2 Non-Hague N.B. This form must be notarised.
- Please send your completed application form and original documents to the address below:
Register of Intercountry Adoptions
Adoption Authority of Ireland
Shelbourne House
Shelbourne Road
Dublin 4
Ireland
Should your application for recognition be successful, the adoption will qualify for an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions.The Register is a public document similar to the Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages and is open to the members of the public.
The fees for extracts of the Register of Intercountry Adoptions are as follows:
Fee payable for a search of an entry: €2.00
Fee payable per certificate (extract of an entry) : €8.00
e.g 1 cert €10, 2 certs €18, 3 certs €26 etc
Cheques/Bank Drafts/Postal orders denominated in Euro and drawn on an Irish bank only are accepted as payment for certificates. No cash accepted.
Cheques/Bank Drafts/Postal orders should be made payable to Udarás Uchtlála na hÉireann (Adoption Authority of Ireland).
Incomplete applications or applications without original court orders or certified copies by the court will not be processed and will be returned by registered post for completion.
Important Notice for holders of Declarations of Eligibility and Suitability who have adopted abroad
Applicants are advised that, pursuant to the Adoption Act 2010, (a) that they are obliged to notify the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Health Service Executive/Assessing Agency when they bring a child into the State who has been adopted and who is to be adopted and (b) that they are obliged to apply to the Authority to enter particulars of the adoption in the register of intercountry adoptions. Applicants have THREE months in which to initiate both of these activities. Failure to do so may result in fines, imprisonment or both.
Section 82
(1) Where a child enters the State for the first time after his or her adoption by adopters habitually resident in the State, they shall notify the Health Service Executive and the Authority of the child’s entry as soon as practicable and, in any event, not later than 3 months after the date of entry.
(2) Where a child enters the State for the purpose of being adopted in the State by prospective adopters who are habitually resident in the State, they shall notify the Health Service Executive and the Authority of the child’s entry as soon as practicable and, in any event, not later than 3 months after the date of entry.
Section 90(4)
‘Not later than 3 months after the date when a child first enters the State after his or her intercountry adoption in another state by parents habitually resident in the State, the adopters shall ensure that an application to the Authority is made under subsection (3) to enter particulars of the adoption in the register of intercountry adoptions.’
Section 147(2)
‘A person is guilty of an offence if the person fails to discharge a duty to which the person is subject under subsection (1) or (2) of section 82….’
Section 147(4)
‘A person is guilty of an offence if the person fails to discharge a duty to which the person is subject under section 90 (4).’
Section 148(2)
‘A person guilty of an offence under section 147 (2) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €5,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or both.’
Section 148(4)
‘A person guilty of an offence under section 147 (4) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding €2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or both.’
| File | Description | File size |
|---|---|---|
 CERTIFICATE Application Form.pdf | Certificate application form | 17 Kb |
| Form RIA1 _Hague_ June 2011.pdf | Application form for an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions (Hague Countries) | 35 Kb |
| Form RIA2 _non-Hague_ June 2011.pdf | Application form for an entry in the Register of Intercountry Adoptions (non-Hague Countries) | 47 Kb |