Adoption
In Belgium, adoption may be undertaken by an individual or a couple, married or not, heterosexual or not. Indeed, Belgium is one of the few countries that allows adoption by homosexuals.
The adopted individual may be a minor or an adult, Belgian or of a foreign nationality.
There are two types of adoptions, namely the simple adoption and the full adoption.
In the simple adoption, the child keeps some relationship with his/her birth family, in particular towards the mutual support obligation between a child and his/her parents but also with respect to succession rights.
The full adoption has a more stronger result in the sense that the legal assimilation of the adopted child into a natural child is complete; the relationships between the child and his/her birth family are completely eliminated. The kinship that results from full adoption also extends to the adopted child’s own descendants.
In some cases, the adoption may have an impact on the nationality, family name (or surname) but also on the amount of gift and inheritances taxes to be levied.
Dans certains cas, l’adoption peut avoir une incidence quant à la nationalité, au nom de famille (ou patronymique) mais aussi quant aux droits de donation ou de successions à payer.
Both simple and full adoptions are subjected to strict conditions which can cover together during a meeting.