Québec Portal

General procedure for international adoption

Responsibility : Secrétariat à l'adoption internationale

If you wish to adopt a child domiciled outside Québec, the first step is to contact the Secrétariat à l’adoption internationale to obtain general information and find out the eligibility conditions, the adoption criteria and the procedures involved.

When you have chosen the country from which you wish to adopt, you must contact the certified agency for that country. The agency will undertake the adoption procedures for you.

List of certified agencies

In the following cases, you may be authorized by the Secrétariat à l'adoption internationale (SAI) to adopt a child directly, without the intermediary of a certified agency:

• You are related to the child.


• You are a national of the child's country of origin, and all the requirements are met.


• For humanitarian reasons, or due to exceptional circumstances, you are the person most likely to ensure that the child’s rights are respected.

For more information...

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