The ‘adoption allowance’ is a one-off allowance paid by one of Belgium’s five child allowance funds for the adoption of a child.
The adoption allowance amount depends on whether your child is domiciled in the Brussels-Capital Region, Wallonia, Flanders or German-speaking Belgium.
This allowance is usually called the allocation d’adoption, startbedrag adoptie, or Adoptionsprämie in French, Dutch and German respectively.
The village partners with one of the five child allowance funds, Infino, who support families living in Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia.
While the amounts paid do not differ per fund, we really appreciate the friendly assistance of Infino, who have made a dedicated contact available especially for village readers. If you don’t find the answers you need below, you can contact them directly on brussels@infino.be (Brussels), vlaanderen@infino.be (Flanders), or wallonie@infino.be (Wallonia) for further help!
DISCLAIMER: thevillage.be receives a small commission if you use any of the links in this article to join Infino. If you do, thanks for helping the village keep doing what it does!
In this section you can find out about the:
- basic principles of adoption allowance payments
- information about the family allowance systems in effect, and how to apply for adoption allowance, if your child(ren) is/are/will be domiciled in:
Some basic principles of adoption allowance payments
Who requests the adoption allowance and who is the adoption allowance paid to?
If the child is adopted by:
- one parent, it is this person who submits the application for the adoption allowance and receives the payment;
- a couple who are married or legally cohabiting, the adoption allowance is paid to the account number the couple indicates. If no choice is made, or if there is disagreement, it’s the younger of the adopters who receives the amount.
Note that it is never possible to receive an adoption allowance if a birth allowance has already been requested/received for the same child, e.g. in the case of one partner adopting the other partner’s child.
What paperwork needs to be in order before applying for the adoption allowance?
For the adoption of a Belgian child, a ‘request for adoption’ must have been submitted to a Belgian court.
For an international adoption of a minor:
- an ‘adoption act’ must have been signed in the country of the adoption; and
- the Belgian courts must have established that the parent(s) is/are fit to adopt.
For an international adoption of a child over the age of 18, an ‘adoption act’ must have been signed in the country of the adoption.
Is there a deadline to apply for the adoption allowance?
- If a request for adoption was filed with the competent court before 01/04/2018, or in the absence of a petition for adoption, if an adoption deed was signed before 01/04/2018: the request for adoption allowance must be filed no later than five years from the last day of the quarter in which the request for adoption was filed with the competent court, or, in the absence of a request of the relevant court, no later than five years from the last day of the quarter in which the adoption deed was signed.
- If a request for adoption was filed, or, failing that, an adoption deed was signed, from 01/04/2018 until 31/12/2019, the application for adoption allowance must be filed no later than 31/03/2023.
- From 01/01/2020 onwards, requests for adoption or signed adoption acts: the application for adoption allowance must be filed at the latest 3 years from the last day of the quarter in which the request was filed or the adoption act was signed.
Adoption allowance if your child will be domiciled in Brussels
If you are requesting an adoption allowance for your first child who will be domiciled in Brussels, you can make the request online.
If you are already receiving family allowance for at least one other child (whether biological child or adopted), you need to send your request to the same fund.
Since January 2022, Brussels parents can change fund should they wish to do so. Note that some conditions apply:
- For dossiers already existing on 31/12/2019, recipients can change fund as from 01/01/2022 at any time.
- For new first affiliations as from 01/01/2020, recipients need to wait two years before being able to change fund. For example, a family who starts receiving family allowance for the first time on 01/06/2020 can change fund only from 01/06/2022 onwards.
When can I apply for the adoption allowance and what documentation do I need?
If you are adopting a child:
- within Belgium, you can make the request as soon as the adoption procedure has begun;
- from abroad, if a request for foreign adoption has been filed with the Family Court in Belgium, you can make the request.
When you apply, attach the ‘request to adopt’ or ‘adoption act’.
Remember that you can request the adoption allowance up to five years after the introduction of the ‘request to adopt’ or the signature of the ‘adoption act’. See the section above about the deadlines to apply.
How much do I receive and when?
If the adopted child is your first child, you will receive an allowance of EUR 1,238.82. If you adopt (or give birth to) additional children, you will receive an adoption/birth allowance of EUR 563.10 per child (amounts subject to possible annual indexation).
When will you receive the adoption allowance? From the moment that all necessary documents have been received, provided that the child is part of your family by then.
More information?
Adoption allowance if your child will be domiciled in Flanders
If you are requesting an adoption allowance for your first child who will be domiciled in Flanders, you can make the request online.
Your child will automatically be part of the ‘Groeipakket’ scheme, which brings together the ‘startbedrag’ (birth/adoption allowance), family allowances as well as allowances related to childcare, school attendance etc.
If you are already receiving family allowance for at least one other child (whether biological child or adopted), you can send your request to the same fund, or, should you wish to do so, you can choose a different fund for all your family allowance payments provided you have already been with your current fund for at least 12 months.
When and how do I apply for the adoption allowance?
If you are adopting a child:
- within Belgium, you can make the request as soon as the adoption procedure has begun;
- from abroad, if a request for foreign adoption has been filed with the Family Court in Belgium, you can make the request
When you apply, attach the ‘request to adopt’ or ‘adoption act’.
Remember that you can request the adoption allowance up to five years after the introduction of the ‘request to adopt’ or the signature of the ‘adoption act’. See the section above about the deadlines to apply.
How much do I receive and when?
The adoption allowance is €1,190.68 for each child adopted (amount subject to possible annual indexation).
When will you receive the adoption allowance? From the moment that all necessary documents have been received, provided that the child is part of your family by then.
More information?
Adoption allowance if your child will be domiciled in Wallonia
If you are requesting an adoption allowance for your first child who will be domiciled in Wallonia, you can make the request online.
If you are already receiving family allowance for at least one other child (whether biological child or adopted), you can send your request to the same fund, or, should you wish to do so, you can choose a different fund for all your family allowance payments provided you have already been with your current fund for at least 24 months.
When and how do I apply for the adoption allowance?
If you are adopting a child:
- within Belgium, you can make the request as soon as the adoption procedure has begun;
- from abroad, if a request for foreign adoption has been filed with the Family Court in Belgium, you can make the request
When you apply, attach the ‘request to adopt’ or ‘adoption act’.
Remember that you can request the adoption allowance up to five years after the introduction of the ‘request to adopt’ or the signature of the ‘adoption act’. See the section above about the deadlines to apply.
How much do I receive?
The adoption allowance is currently €1,144 for each child adopted (amount subject to possible annual indexation).
More information?
Adoption allowance if your child will be domiciled in German-speaking Belgium
The Department of Family and Social Affairs of the Ministry of the German-speaking Community of Belgium is responsible for family allowance payments, including the adoption allowance (Adoptionsprämie).
When and how do I apply for the adoption allowance?
If you are adopting a child:
- within Belgium, you can make the request as soon as the adoption procedure has begun;
- from abroad, you need to wait until the adoption procedure is complete.
To apply for the adoption allowance, complete and return the relevant form, which you can find on the website of the family portal of the German-speaking community.
How much do I receive?
The adoption allowance is currently €1,163.14 for each child adopted.
More information?
Ministerium der Deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft
Kaperberg, 6
4700 EUPEN
Belgium
Tel: 087 596 300
Email: familienleistungen@dgov.be
Website: www.ostbelgienlive.be (German)