Adoption Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Adopción)

An Adoption Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Adopción) is a formal legal document used in the Spanish adoption process to record the consents, commitments, and declarations of the parties involved in the adoption of a minor, in accordance with the Código Civil Articles 175 through 180 and Ley 26/2015 de 28 de julio, de modificación del sistema de protección a la infancia y a la adolescencia, which substantially reformed Spanish adoption law. Adoption in Spain creates a full legal parent-child relationship between the adoptive parents (adoptantes) and the adopted child (adoptado), extinguishing the child's legal ties with their biological family except in cases of adoption by a stepparent under Article 178.2 of the Código Civil.

Spanish adoption is constituted by court order (resolución judicial) of the Juzgado de Primera Instancia with competence in matters of voluntary jurisdiction under Ley 15/2015 de la Jurisdicción Voluntaria, Articles 33 through 42, following a proposal (propuesta previa de adopción) issued by the competent public entity — typically the Comunidad Autónoma's department for child welfare (entidad pública de protección de menores). Article 176 of the Código Civil requires that adoption be constituted by judicial resolution, and that the judge assess the suitability of the adoption based on the best interests of the minor (interés superior del menor) — the guiding principle of the entire Spanish child protection system under Ley Orgánica 1/1996 de Protección Jurídica del Menor, as reformed by Ley 26/2015.

The Acuerdo de Adopción serves as supporting documentation within the broader adoption procedure. The document captures the formal consent declarations required by Article 177 of the Código Civil — including the consent of both adoptive parents, the consent of the child if twelve years of age or older, the hearing (audiencia) of children aged over seven, and the consent or lack of objection of the biological parents. The consent of the biological parents may be waived in specific circumstances established by Article 177.2 CC, including where the parents are deprived of parental authority (privados de la patria potestad), are unknown, or have been separated from the child for more than two years without justified cause.

International adoption in Spain is additionally governed by the Ley 54/2007 de Adopción Internacional, which establishes Spain's framework for adopting children from countries that are party to the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convenio de La Haya sobre Adopción Internacional), ratified by Spain through Instrumento de Ratificación of 1 July 1995. International adoptions must be channelled through accredited organisations (organismos acreditados para la adopción internacional — OAAIs) registered with the Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad, and through the central authority in the country of origin.

Following the judicial constitution of adoption, the adoptive relationship is registered in the Registro Civil under Ley 20/2011 del Registro Civil, creating a new birth certificate that names the adoptive parents and does not reference the adoption. The adopted child acquires the adoptive parents' apellidos (surnames) under Article 109 of the Código Civil, full inheritance rights as a forced heir under Articles 807 and 808 CC, and full nationality rights under Article 19 CC if the adoptive parents are Spanish nationals, upon application to the Registro Civil.

An Adoption Agreement Spain is needed at multiple stages of both domestic and international adoption procedures to document consent, commitments, and declarations required under Spanish law.

The document is required during the pre-adoption assessment phase, when prospective adoptive parents (solicitantes de adopción) formalise their commitment to the adoption process before the competent Comunidad Autónoma authority. The assessment includes a psychosocial study (idoneidad) conducted by the public entity or by accredited professionals to determine whether the prospective parents meet the requirements of Article 176.2 of the Código Civil — being at least 25 years old, having a minimum age difference of 16 years with the adopted child, and demonstrating the capacity and conditions to provide proper care.

An Adoption Agreement is needed when a child is placed with prospective adoptive parents under a pre-adoption guardianship (guarda con fines de adopción) under Article 176bis of the Código Civil, introduced by Ley 26/2015. During this preliminary phase, a written agreement between the prospective parents and the entidad pública documents the terms of the placement and the commitments of both parties prior to the judicial constitution of adoption.

The agreement is required to document the consent declarations under Article 177 of the Código Civil that must be submitted to the Juzgado de Primera Instancia for the judicial adoption proceedings. These include the consent of both adoptive parents if jointly adopting, the consent of the adopted child if twelve or older, and the consent or absence of objection from the biological parents unless waived by court.

For international adoptions under Ley 54/2007 de Adopción Internacional, the agreement documents the undertakings of the adoptive parents before the receiving country (España) and the country of origin, including commitments to complete required post-adoption follow-up reports (informes de seguimiento post-adoptivo) required by the Hague Convention country of origin.

The document is also needed when an adult seeks to formalise a simple adoption (adopción simple) in certain international adoption contexts recognised under the conflict-of-laws rules of Ley 54/2007, where the foreign legal system recognises a less complete form of adoptive relationship than Spain's plena adoption.

Parties in Spain should prepare a Adoption Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Adopción) proactively rather than waiting for a dispute to arise. Courts interpret agreements based on the written terms rather than oral representations. Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy. Where the transaction involves regulated activities, prior approval from the relevant authority may be required before execution.

A valid Adoption Agreement Spain under the Código Civil and Ley 26/2015 must contain the following essential elements to support the judicial adoption proceedings before the Juzgado de Primera Instancia and to satisfy the requirements of the competent entidad pública.

Identification of Adoptive Parents (Adoptantes): Full legal names, DNI or NIE numbers, dates of birth, marital status, domicile, and nationality of the adoptive parent or parents. Article 175.4 of the Código Civil permits adoption by a single person or by a married couple or registered partner couple (pareja de hecho inscrita). Both members of a couple must consent to the adoption. Age requirements — minimum 25 years of age with a 16-year minimum age gap with the adopted child — must be verified.

Identification of Child (Adoptado): Full name, date of birth, place of birth, nationality, and current legal guardian of the child proposed for adoption. Where the child is a Spanish national under protection measures of the entidad pública, the reference number of the protective measure (medida de protección) and the name of the competent Comunidad Autónoma department must be included.

Consent Declarations (Consentimientos): As required by Article 177 of the Código Civil. The consent of the adoptive parents to the adoption must be stated. Where the child is 12 years of age or older, their written consent is mandatory. Where the child is between 7 and 11 years of age, their opinion (audiencia) must be heard by the judge, though their consent is not required. The consent or non-opposition of the biological parents must be documented unless the court has dispensed with it under Article 177.2 CC.

Idoneidad Certificate: Reference to the certificate of suitability (certificado de idoneidad) issued by the competent entidad pública following the psychosocial assessment of the adoptive parents. Without this certificate, no adoption proposal may be submitted to the judge under Article 176.3 of the Código Civil.

Propuesta Previa de Adopción: Where applicable, reference to the prior adoption proposal (propuesta previa de adopción) issued by the entidad pública under Article 176 CC, which is the formal recommendation to the court that the adoption be constituted. In cases where no propuesta previa is required — for example, adoptions by relatives within the third degree of kinship, or by the spouse of the biological parent — the agreement must state the applicable exemption under Article 176.2 CC.

Commitments of Adoptive Parents: A statement of the adoptive parents' commitments including providing stable care, education, and affection; not discriminating between adopted and biological children; complying with post-adoption follow-up requirements of the entidad pública; and, for international adoptions, complying with follow-up reporting obligations under the Hague Convention and Ley 54/2007.

Guarda con Fines de Adopción: Where the child has been placed under Article 176bis CC prior to the judicial constitution of adoption, the terms of the pre-adoptive placement — duration, review conditions, and grounds for revocation — must be documented.

Forms-legal.com provides this Adoption Agreement Spain template as a documentation support tool. The legal adoption process in Spain is constituted exclusively by judicial resolution under Article 176 CC — no private agreement constitutes adoption. Prospective adoptive parents must work with the entidad pública of their Comunidad Autónoma and, for international adoption, with an OAAI accredited under Ley 54/2007. Legal advice from an abogado especialista en derecho de familia is strongly recommended throughout the process.

Under Spanish law, the Código Civil governs marriage (Article 66), divorce (Article 81), custody (Article 92), and maintenance (Article 142). The Ley Orgánica 1/1996 (LOPJM) protects minors. The Registro Civil records births, marriages, and deaths. The Ley 15/2015 de Jurisdicción Voluntaria governs non-contentious proceedings. The Ley Orgánica 1/1982 protects fundamental rights including image and privacy.