Can a single woman adopt a child (or adopt): conditions for adoption in Russia for an unmarried citizen or a single mother without a husband, is it possible to take a child from an orphanage or baby home,

Author of the article: Anastasia Ivanova Last modified: January 2020 3484

Many women dream of becoming a mother. Not everyone manages to experience all the delights of motherhood for various reasons: due to illness, lack of a partner, spouse. Adopting a child by a single woman is the only chance to find a happy family. There is a misconception that an unmarried representative of the fair sex is prohibited from becoming a foster mother. However, in Russia, having a husband is not a mandatory requirement for a woman to adopt a child.

The legislative framework

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation (Article 127, Chapter 19 of the Family Code), any person who has the right to take a child into a family can also be single.

The conditions for adopting a child by a single adoptive parent are practically no different from adoption by a married couple. The only difference is that spouses present to the court a marriage certificate, and a single woman - a birth certificate.

The word “adoption” also means adoption.

Who can adopt a child in Russia: requirements for applicants to raise children

Some people think that the age of the applicant for the role of mother is the main condition and stumbling block on the path to creating a new unit of society.

In fact, the age of the female adoptive parent does not matter. There are other important points that guardianship officials, as well as the judge, pay attention to.

So, the key requirements for a woman are:

She must be capable and financially secure.
The difference from the child she plans to adopt must be at least 16 years.
A woman is required to undergo special training at a school for foster parents.
She must obtain written consent from the guardianship authorities to carry out the adoption procedure.

In 2020, a woman who wants to adopt a child can contact several institutions: a maternity hospital, an orphanage, an orphanage.

The choice of institution depends on what kind of child she wants to adopt (infant, infant, schoolchild or preschooler).

What is adoption

Not all citizens know that there are several types of placements for children. These are adoption, guardianship and foster care. They imply different details in the case of child placement. We'll explain the differences below.

Adoption . The child becomes family in every sense - emotional and legal. For the state, this means that the adopted child has the right to inheritance, and the parent can receive all the payments that are intended for natural mothers.

Guardianship. Usually close relatives resort to this form. This gives them the right to become a legal representative and also receive benefits. But there is also free guardianship. Guardianship can be established until the child’s 14th birthday, and even if he has parents, they are not deprived of their rights, but cannot take care of the child, for example, due to a serious illness.

Adoptive family. This arrangement is similar to guardianship, only the new parent is, as it were, registered for work with the same position. He receives both a salary and financial benefits.

There are 2 more concepts such as:

Guest family. The child is with caregivers only for a limited time each week. This form is rarely resorted to in Russia, but is often used as a better way to get to know a child whom they subsequently want to adopt.

Patronage. Children do not have the legal status of orphan or any other; the conditions are similar to a guest family. Also used as a transitional step to guardianship.

You can only adopt a child who has a written refusal from the biological parents

Adoption by a single woman

What documents are needed for adoption?

In order to adopt a child in Russia, a single woman must provide the following package of documents:

A statement in which a woman asks the relevant authorities to issue her a conclusion that she can be an adoptive parent.
A short autobiography in free form.
Passport.
A certificate from the employer, which indicates the position held, as well as the amount of wages.
Photocopy of personal account.
An extract from the house register stating that the woman permanently resides in a particular house. If a woman has a privatized apartment, then she must present a certificate of ownership of the house or apartment.
Certificate of no criminal record. You can obtain it from the internal affairs bodies.
A medical certificate stating that the woman has no serious health problems.
A copy of the birth certificate.

It is no secret that the guardianship and trusteeship authorities in Russia are somewhat wary of single women who want to adopt a child.

First of all, they are interested in the motive: why does a single woman want to adopt a boy/girl?

And if the applicant gives a comprehensive, reliable answer that satisfies and reassures the specialist, then he will continue to consider her application and documents and will not interfere with the adoption process.

Who can be an adoptive parent

Persons of both sexes can adopt, regardless of marital status. The main thing is that the person can provide everything the baby needs. Below is a list of persons who do not have the right to adopt a child in the Russian Federation.

The presence of diseases that prevent the adoption of children. For example, tuberculosis, mental disorders, drug addiction, alcoholism, disability and others.
Persons who, by court decision, have already been deprived of parental rights.
Incapacitated citizens or persons with limited legal capacity. For both physical and mental reasons.
There is no constant material income, or income below the subsistence level.
There is no permanent place of residence, that is, the person cannot provide the little person with registration and permanent housing.
Living conditions are not considered satisfactory.
The person has been convicted in the past by a court for an attempt on the life or health of a person.

Thus, it is quite possible for a single woman to register the adoption of a child. But the guardianship authorities study the candidacy of a woman without a husband more carefully. It is important to remember that there are always exceptions.

Requirements for an adoptive parent

A woman without a husband can adopt a child if:

it can provide the necessary standard of living for the baby;
can provide permanent housing;
has an income above the subsistence level;
has a conclusion about her state of health, that is, there are no mental or physical abnormalities that deprive her of legal capacity;
there is no criminal record in the past or present;
has no outstanding debts;
was not deprived of parental rights, or they were not limited;
The adoptive parent is over 18 years old.

From the orphanage

To adopt a child from an orphanage you must:

collect documents (the list of required documents is given below);
take this package to the guardianship authorities;
obtain a conclusion and apply to an orphanage with it;
After meeting a boy or girl, apply for adoption.

From the maternity hospital

To take from the maternity hospital you need:

contact the guardianship authorities to get in line and submit an application;
obtain special permission from the guardianship authorities for a medical examination;
a list of the required package of documents will be issued; it needs to be collected;
after everything is ready, the turn comes, the adoptive parent goes for permission to adopt.

It is important to remember that the process of adopting a baby is not quick.

Can a single mother adopt a child? Valid reasons for adoption

So that the guardianship authorities do not doubt the actions of a woman who wants to adopt a child, she must clearly and truthfully tell them why she intends to become a mother for a particular baby.

Experts will have no doubt about the veracity of her words if she says that:

due to age-related or physiological changes, cannot have natural children;
she wants to forget about loneliness, start taking care of a small child;
she lost her own child and wants to adopt a baby to fill the void and crowd out grief from her heart.

What women cannot become adoptive parents?

An unmarried woman in Russia will not be able to adopt a child if:

the applicant is a minor;
the woman has been declared incompetent or partially capable by the court;
she was deprived of parental rights by court order;
at the time of submitting documents for adoption, the woman does not have a permanent income that could provide the child with a normal existence;
she has no permanent place of residence;
she previously had a criminal record and was subject to criminal prosecution for crimes against honor, freedom, health, safety and the lives of other people;
she was not trained in foster care school;
she has health problems. A request may be refused by a doctor’s report stating that the woman is sick. Diseases for which she will not be able to give a child for adoption: tuberculosis, malignant tumors, infectious diseases, mental disorders, drug addiction, alcoholism, substance abuse, disability of group 1.

Remember that you can only adopt a child whose personal file contains a written refusal from his biological parents.

What conditions exist during the adoption process?

According to Art. 127 of the RF IC, the adoption (or adoption) of a child is considered impossible in cases with the following categories of citizens:

incapacitated and limited in capacity citizens;
citizens with diseases that prevent adoption;
citizens who have already been deprived of parental rights (based on a court decision);
in the absence of a sufficient level of income;
citizens living in unsatisfactory conditions;
persons who do not have a permanent place of residence;
persons who were convicted and arrived at the MLS for crimes that threaten human life and health.

Art. 125 of the RF IC clearly regulates the procedure for adoption. And Article 269 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation regulates the procedure for considering adoption through the court.

Adopting a child by a single person: where to start, what is needed for this?

The adoption procedure is very lengthy and complicated . A single person wishing to adopt a child will need to go through a number of processes:

Contact social security authorities.
Obtain permission from social protection authorities to adopt a child.
Choose your favorite boy/girl from an orphanage, shelter, etc.
Go to court and attend a hearing where the applicant will be informed of the judge’s decision: whether they will be allowed to adopt a child or not.

Contacting social security authorities

At this stage, the woman will be asked to write an application in the established form, in which she must indicate the following information: full name, residence address, passport details, registration address, and also list the documents attached to the application.

During the first visit, the specialist may not accept documents, but only talk with the woman. He will definitely ask what are the reasons for her decision and desire to adopt a child.

Assessment of the applicant’s living conditions

After the application is approved, a special commission will be created that will set a time to assess the applicant’s living conditions.

Specialists will look at the condition of the apartment, how much space is allocated to the child, how well it is equipped, etc.

Issuing a permit

If a woman successfully passes the first points, then the question: “Are children given to single women for adoption?” will no longer be relevant, because she will already be given a document on permission to become a mother for the baby.

This document is valid for a year, and it is provided no later than 20 days from the date of assessment of housing conditions.

Choosing the desired baby

If a woman has a child in mind, then she will not have any difficulties in choosing a son or daughter.

But if she doesn’t have anyone specific in mind, then she has the right to contact the social security authorities.

Specialists should help her in this matter and find a suitable child for her, taking into account her wishes.

The last procedure is a court hearing.

After the woman has all the documents ready, the baby has already been selected, all that remains is to go to court with a decision in favor of the expectant mother.

Can a single woman adopt a child in Russia without going to court?

No, he can not. All adoptive parents, no matter whether they are single women, men or couples, must undergo this procedure.

A woman must submit a written request to the court that a judge review her case regarding the adoption of a child. She must attach to the written application the entire package of documents that was collected earlier.

The prosecutor and a representative of the guardianship and trusteeship authority must be present at the meeting itself..

In some cases, the appearance of the child himself is also required if he is over 14 years old.

If the child is between 10 and 14 years old, then the girl/boy’s written consent to find a new family must be presented to the court.

Usually the decision is made at the second meeting . At the first stage, the judge listens to the opinions of all parties and accepts documents for review.

Then he checks the accuracy of the information and already at the second meeting makes a decision in favor of the single mother.

Procedure for registration of adoption

To accept a minor child into a family, you must follow the following procedure:

Obtaining an initial consultation.
Completion of training.
Collection of documents.
Submitting an application.
Obtaining a conclusion.
Selection of a child.
Adoption court.

To speed up the process, it is advisable to collect documents during the training period. The law establishes a long validity period for documentation (6 months for a medical report, 1 year for others).

Initial consultation

To register the adoption, you must contact the district guardianship department. Although the list of documentation and the procedure for registration are regulated at the federal level, the regions independently determine the procedure for conducting training. The following options are possible:

a person can independently contact any center providing training;
the citizen must apply to the foster care school assigned to the district in which he is registered.

At the consultation, a specialist from the guardianship department will issue a list of documents and a referral to the center for training.

Completion of training

Organizations providing training for foster families independently determine the program. Depending on the center, the training period can last from 4 days to 1 month.

It is advisable for the adoptive parent to choose long-term training to obtain complete information. The program includes:

normative data;
teacher consultations;
information on the psychology of orphans.

After accepting a minor into a family, it is possible to register foster families with the school’s escort service.

Collection of documents

Since 2020, the list of documents for candidates for adoptive parents has been significantly reduced. Specialists of the district guardianship department request most of the information independently as part of interdepartmental interaction.

The woman must present:

passport;
medical report;
autobiography;
a copy of the certificate of completion of the foster family school;
marriage/divorce document (if available).

Specialists additionally request information about the candidate’s family composition, absence/presence of a criminal record. Within 3 days after receiving a response to the request, a commission of the guardianship authority visits the citizen’s residential premises to conduct an examination.

Submitting an application

To obtain a conclusion, a woman must submit an application to the authorized body. The law provides for the possibility of submitting documents as follows:

in person to the municipal guardianship department;
through the State Services electronic service (federal or regional);
through MFC.

When applying in person, you must present your passport and original documents. When submitting data via the Internet, the original documents are presented during the inspection of the residential premises.

Obtaining a conclusion

The result of the application is a conclusion about the possibility of adopting children. The document is issued after a commission review of the information provided.

The period for preparing the conclusion is 10 days. In case of a negative decision, the applicant is issued a resolution from the guardianship authority to refuse to issue an opinion.

The applicant may appeal the decision within 30 days from the date of issuance.

Child selection

The conclusion about the possibility of being a candidate for surrogate parents allows a single woman to begin selecting a child for subsequent adoption. Depending on the candidate’s preferences by age and health status of the child, selection is carried out in the following organizations:

children's home (children aged 0 to 4 years);
family support center (children from 0 to 18 years old);
boarding school (children from 7 to 18 years old).

Important! When selecting a minor, the candidate does not have the right to apply directly to an organization for orphans. You must first contact the guardianship department located in the district.

To get acquainted with the child, you need to get a referral from the guardianship department. The document is valid for 10 days. During the validity period of one referral, it is prohibited to receive a second one for another child.

During this time, the woman must visit the organization and personally get acquainted with the minor, his medical documentation and personal file. Consent to accept a child into a family must be communicated to the organization orally and to the guardianship department in writing.

Adoption Court

Adoption takes place in court. Since the process can last 2 months or more, it is advisable to pre-register guardianship for the child in order to remove him from the organization.

The adoption process includes:

preparation of documents (for the candidate and the child);
drawing up an application to the court;
submission of documents;
preliminary conversation;
trial;
entry into force of the court decision;
registration of adoption in the registry office.

The documents are sent to the court at the location of the organization (if the minor is in the organization). When registering guardianship for a child, the application can be sent to the court at the place of registration.

When drawing up an application, you can indicate a request for the decision to enter into force immediately.

After receiving the decision, the woman applies to the registry office to register the adoption. As a result, she receives an adoption certificate and a new birth document.

When adopting a child by a single woman, you can include requirements to exclude data about the father and put a dash in the “Father” column. In addition, you can leave information about your blood father. In such a situation, it is possible to preserve the minor’s right to receive child support from the biological parent.

Is it possible for a single man to adopt a child?

I would like to answer this question right away, so as not to torment those single men who have expressed a desire to adopt a child: yes, a single man has the right to adopt a child.

But he must understand that the guardianship authorities will be wary of him. They will be more strict and make more demands on him than on a married couple wanting to have a child.

The fact is that in Russia many people do not understand men who want to adopt children . The Russian public is not yet ready to accept the fact of such adoption, since couples often turn to the guardianship authorities.

But if a man has expressed such a desire, then he must provide the entire package of documents, which is also provided for a single woman who wants to adopt a child.

These are: passport, autobiography, birth certificate, certificate of employment, certificate of the condition of the apartment, certificate of no criminal record, ownership of housing or an extract from the house register, medical report.

When submitting documents, you need to know that the medical report is valid only for 3 months . Therefore, you should not put off submitting documents for the adoption of a child by a man for a long time, but submit them as soon as the entire set is ready.

Guardianship authorities will definitely ask a single man why he wants to adopt a child if he is not married.

And if he has a great desire to have a baby, then he will definitely prove that he wants this and in the end he will be given the opportunity to become a happy father.

What difficulties might there be?

Russian legislation strictly regulates the rights of its citizens, especially the rights of children.
Thus, by establishing increasingly strict limits on adoption, the state acts in the interests of the adopted child. The adoption procedure has some restrictions and is characterized by complex bureaucratic guarantees.

There are limits set for the age of the adoptive parent: he cannot be less than 18 years old, and the age difference with the adoptee must be at least 16 years old.

There are no longer any age restrictions. Adoptive parents are subject to standard requirements, which consist of formally notifying the guardianship authorities and the court about their state of health, lifestyle, level of income, and permission to adopt a child provided by authorized persons.

Adoption is allowed only for minor children; it is not possible to adopt an adult. Otherwise, the procedure for interaction with guardianship authorities corresponds to the usual adoption procedure.

The main difficulties do not lie in paperwork, but in the psychological stress of a child abandoned by his parents, who will be afraid of losing his new mother or father, testing their personality qualities in every possible way with his whims.

Also, the child may feel lonely without the other caregiver.

Can guardianship authorities refuse to adopt a child for a single woman?

Yes, however, their refusal must be justified . If a woman does not meet the requirements dictated by the laws of the Russian Federation, then, naturally, she will be refused.

For example, she doesn’t have a job, her housing is not well equipped, etc. And there may be other versions of the refusal. For example, with her personal characteristics, a woman causes fear and doubt among specialists.

Although in this case they act solely for personal reasons. And even if, according to the law, a woman complies with all norms and rules, they will not be able to refuse her to adopt a child for personal reasons.

If a woman has the status of an unmarried or single mother, then she has every right to adopt a child.

But to do this, she must submit the necessary package of documents to the social protection department, go through the foster parent school, prove her desire to adopt a child, and also that she can provide him with a decent life, will love him and take care of him.

Video: Adoption of a child

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Can a single woman obtain guardianship?

Article 127 of the RF IC lists all the requirements for those wishing to take custody of a child. Registration of guardianship is possible only through the court. This is regulated by the twenty-ninth chapter of the Civil Procedure Code. Many adults and capable persons have the right to take custody of a minor child.

Potential applicants are subject to the following requirements:

a person who wants to obtain guardianship must have a permanent job, as well as a stable income, which will be enough for the child;
under no circumstances should he be deprived of parental rights in the past, as this may serve as a serious reason for refusal;
the person must live in good conditions. His housing (apartment, private house) must certainly meet all requirements. It is important to create the most comfortable living conditions for the future child. He must have his own separate room;
Another important condition is the absence of a criminal record. The applicant will be denied if he has previously committed a crime against the health and life of another person.

Please note that this list does not include single women. It is for this reason that they can count on approval of the application.

The most important thing is that the candidacy of a representative of the fairer sex meets the requirements of current legislation.

Step-by-step instructions on how a single man can adopt a child