Step five. Consent for adoption and filing an application for adoption with the court

The family must give its consent to the adoption within 30 working days of receiving an offer to adopt the child. Consent can be given in any form (letter, email, fax).

A family can refuse to adopt a child offered to them. In this case, the family must give reasons for the refusal. The Service reserves the right to contact the Central Adoption Authority of the receiving country or an authorised foreign authority for a reassessment of the family’s readiness to adopt.

If the family agrees to adopt the child proposed to it, the Service and the central authority of the receiving country or an authorised foreign authority will issue a permit to continue the adoption procedure.

If the family agrees to adopt the proposed child, it must apply to Vilnius Regional Court.

Both spouses must be present at the hearing.

At the hearing, the court examines whether the pre-trial adoption procedure has been properly carried out, whether the adoptive parents meet the requirements and are properly prepared to adopt, and whether the adoption is in the best interests of the child being adopted.

The court’s decision on the adoption becomes final after 30 days, unless the decision is appealed. Only the persons involved in the case, i.e. the applicants and the guardian of the adopted child, as well as other interested persons, have the right to lodge an appeal.

As adoptive parents, you have the right to ask the court to allow the decision to be enforced urgently.

The child’s biological parents are not notified of the adoption hearing.

An adopted child retains the data that preserves his or her identity - date and place of birth. The child may be given the surname of the adoptive parents and have his/her name changed.