Stepchild adoption

If you are in a registered civil partnership or same-sex marriage, you can adopt your partner’s biological or adopted child.

The duration of the stepchild adoption procedure varies greatly. During the time before the stepchild adoption, the co-mother is only entitled to “minor custody“. In concrete terms, this means that she can have a say in matters of daily life in agreement with the mother. An exception to this are situations that involve danger and require immediate action. In such moments, the co-mother can perform legal acts even without the mother’s consent.

In order to make provisions, it is recommended that the partner who has the child (whether natural or adopted does not matter) draws up a will in which the partner is named as guardian.

The joint adoption right by same-sex living and married partners will be possible with the “Law on the Introduction of the Right to Marriage for Persons of the Same Sex” on 01.10.2017.

Detailed information on the topic can be found on the LSVD website.