Turkey removes 40-year-old minimum age rule for adoption

ANKARA

The Family and Social Policies Ministry on April 30 lifted the rule requiring a citizen to be at least 40 years old in order to be eligible to adopt a child.

The new rule lifts the requirement for there to be a 40-year age gap between the parent-to-be and the adopted child, and is expected to go into legal force soon, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

With the update, citizens will be eligible to adopt after going through the necessary and thorough social background checks.

The ministry has also started fully revising adoption procedures and processes. In line with this, new measures will reportedly require the authorities to pay regular visits to parents who have adopted a child for monitoring purposes.

There are currently 900 families in Turkey waiting for a chance to adopt a child, according to data provided by the Family and Social Policies Ministry.