Dutch Government Implements Ban on Overseas Adoptions

The Netherlands has announced a prohibition on its citizens adopting children from abroad, as stated by Minister of Legal Protection Franc Weerwind, as reported by Reuters.

Weerwind further noted that ongoing interstate adoption procedures will remain at a standstill for the foreseeable future.

Over the past fifty years, Dutch families have adopted approximately 40,000 children from 80 different countries. However, recent years have seen a decline in this practice, with only 145 adoptions recorded in 2019 and a further decrease to 70 in 2020 amid the pandemic, according to data from the independent Institute for the Study of Dutch Youth Problems.

From February 2021 to November 2022, the Dutch government implemented a nearly two-year temporary ban on intercountry adoptions.

The Dutch adoption system has faced scrutiny due to the growing number of adults who were adopted as children and have begun to seek information about their biological heritage. Many have discovered discrepancies in their birth certificates or uncovered evidence suggesting their adoptions may have occurred unlawfully.

These revelations have prompted a reassessment of Dutch adoption policies and underscored the need for stricter regulations to ensure the integrity and legality of intercountry adoptions.