Adoption refers to the act of legally taking another person’s child into you’re your family to raise as your own child. Adoption should be done lawfully and legally to protect the best interests of the adopted child.
In Malaysia, you have an option to adopt a child as below :
- under the Adoption Act 1952 – through court process; or
- under Registration of Adoptions Act 1952 – through JPN procedure.
An adoption order under the Adoption Act 1952 can be obtained approximately between six (6) to nine (9) months after an application was filed in the Court.
Attendance of all parties in both Hearings in court is compulsory unless exempted by Court’s order.
The Adoption Act 1952 requires a formal application to court by filing a Adoption Petition in court.
A welfare officer will be appointed as the child’s Guardian Ad Litem on the First Hearing date in court. The Welfare officer shall to investigate the circumstance/background of the child and the adoptive parents and is required to prepare a report supporting the adoption application.
The report shall be forwarded to court on the Second Hearing to support/oppose the adoption application. If the report supports the adoption, then the court will grant an adoption order.
Before an adoption order is made the court must be satisfied that the consent of every person who is the parent or guardian or a person liable to contribute to the support of the child is obtained.
Once the Adoption Order is granted, the National Registration Department will then re-issue a new birth certificate to the adopted child without the words “adopted” or “adoption”.
In all court proceedings, several factors that the courts would take into account prior to granting an adoption order includes, the adoptive parents being at least twenty-five (25) years of age and at least twenty-one (21) years older than the child. The child must have lived with the adoptive parentS for at least three (3) consecutive months before the Adoption Order is granted.
We are concerns of parents looking to adopt children to complete their family circle.
Gengeys & Co offers you a personal consultation over adoption matter. Our lawyers have assisted numerous clients with the adoption process.
Please contact us if you have any queries on adoption in Malaysia.