Step one. Who can apply and where, and what documents are needed?

Adoptive parents may be:

* Adults of working age of both sexes, but there must be an age difference of at least 18 years between the adoptive parent and the child to be adopted. When adopting your spouse’s child or adopted child, the age difference can be reduced to 15 years. In exceptional cases, the court may also allow adoption by older persons;

* Spouses. Unmarried persons cannot adopt the same child.

In exceptional cases, adoption is allowed to an unmarried (single) person or to one of the spouses. An exception can be made by the court when the spouses do not wish to adopt the child in question, or when the spouses who wish to adopt are unable to adopt because the adoption would not be in the child’s best interests.

If you want to adopt a child without parental care, you must apply to the territorial division of the Service of your place of residence.

Adoption application form.