Persons who have their regular residence in Luxembourg who wish to adopt a child that they do not yet know, must submit an application for adoption to the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth, which is the central authority under the Hague International Convention of 1993 on adoptions.
Applicants must take part in adoption information sessions (2 times 3 hours) as well as adoption awareness sessions (4 times 4 hours). They are then directed to one of the approved adoption services, which will be in charge of their evaluation and, in the event of a favourable opinion, will accompany them throughout the adoption process both abroad and in Luxembourg.
End of 2022, there were three approved and contracted adoption services:
- Amicale Internationale d’Aide à l’Enfance a.s.b.l.;
- Service d’adoption de la Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise;
- Naledi a.s.b.l.
Persons who wish to adopt a child they already know (e.g. spouse’s child) must contact a lawyer.
The Ministry also assists people wishing to find their biological parent or child.