Adopted Child Visa - Recognised Overseas Adoption

: Written by: Arshad Mahmood; Last Updated: 15 April 2026

The Recognised Overseas Adoptions visa route allows a child to apply for entry clearance to come to the UK where they have been adopted overseas in a country where the adoption is recognised under UK law, or where the adoption has been recognised by order of the High Court in the UK.

Premium Solicitors, open 7 days a week and 365 days a year, are specialist UK immigration solicitors. The high quality of UK visa and immigration services provided by our best team of fully qualified and experienced SRA-regulated immigration solicitors is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients.

Free Immigration Advice for Adopted Children

Our specialist team of child visa solicitors can provide one-off free immigration advice for 5 minutes regarding your UK visa application for your adopted child. Ask a question online to our specialist team of child visa solicitors for free immigration advice online, or book an appointment online for detailed immigration advice and consultation with one of our child visa solicitors concerning your adopted child's UK visa application.

Requirement for Adopted Child Visa Based on Recognised Overseas Adoption

A child applying for entry clearance based on Recognised Overseas Adoption must satisfy the following requirements of Appendix Adoption of the Immigration Rules:

Suitability Requirements

The applicant must not fall for refusal under Part Suitability of the Appendix Suitability of the Immigration Rules.

Adoption Requirements

The applicant must have been legally adopted in a country whose adoption orders are, or at the time of the applicant’s adoption were, recognised under UK law.
The overseas adoption must have been in accordance with a decision taken by the competent Central Authority, as set out in AD 16.4., or court in the child’s country of origin, or the country in which they are resident.
The applicant must provide evidence from the relevant Central Authority to confirm a Certificate of Eligibility has been issued if the adoption engages the requirements in:
- section 83 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002; or
- articles 58ZA and 58ZB of the Adoption (Northern Ireland) Order 1987; or
- section 58 of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007.
For the purpose of this Appendix “Central Authority” depends on the country of habitual residence for the adoptive parent: for residents in England, the Central Authority for an adoption under the Hague Convention is the Department for Education and the Devolved Administrations in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man Government are Central Authorities in their respective regions.
If the requirements of being a recognised overseas adoption are not met, the adoption must have been recognised by order of the High Court in the UK.
The decision-maker must be satisfied that the adoption is not one of convenience, arranged to facilitate the child's admission to the UK.

Dependent Child Requirements

The applicant must meet the following requirements for a dependent child in Appendix Children:

age requirement; and
independent life requirement; and
care requirement.

Immigration Status Requirements of Parents

The applicant must be joining or accompanying their adoptive parent(s) and one of the following must apply:

both adoptive parents are British Citizens, are settled in the UK, or live in the UK and have a right to stay without restriction; or
the adoptive parent has sole responsibility for the applicant and is a British Citizen, is settled in the UK or lives in the UK and has a right to stay without restriction; or
one adoptive parent is a British Citizen, or is settled in the UK, or lives in the UK and has a right to stay without restriction and the other adoptive parent has, or is applying for (and is granted), entry clearance or permission to stay on a route to settlement; or
the adoptive parent has sole parental responsibility, and is applying for (and is granted), entry clearance or permission on a route to settlement; or
one adoptive parent is a British Citizen, is settled, or lives in the UK and has a right to stay without restriction and the decision maker is satisfied there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the applicant entry clearance; or
one adoptive parent has, or is applying for (and is granted), entry clearance or permission to stay on a route to settlement and the decision maker is satisfied there are serious and compelling reasons to grant the applicant entry clearance.

Financial Requirements

The applicant must show that they will be adequately maintained in the UK by their adoptive parent(s) without access to public funds, unless the adoptive parent(s) of the applicant has, or is applying for (and is granted), entry clearance or permission to stay on a route to settlement, the applicant must meet the financial requirement for a dependent child under that route.
The applicant must provide evidence from the adoptive parent(s) of income or cash savings sufficient to show the financial requirement is met, and:
evidence from income (other than self-employment) or savings must cover the 6-month period immediately before the date of application; or
where the sponsor is receiving maternity, paternity, adoption or sick pay, their income from salaried employment can be shown for either the 6 months immediately before the date of application or the start date of the maternity, paternity, adoption or sick leave; or
where the income is from self-employment, it must be shown for the last full financial year before the date of application, with additional evidence of ongoing self-employment as in paragraphs 7 or 9 (as relevant) of Appendix FM-SE; or
where there is non-employment income, it must be shown to have been received in the 12 months before the date of application, except where specified in paragraph 10 of Appendix FM-SE; or
where property has been sold, and the money received has been converted into cash savings, the requirements in paragraph 11A(d) of Appendix FM-SE must be met.
The applicant must show they meet the financial requirement as set out in Appendix FM-SE.

Accommodation Requirement

The applicant’s accommodation in the UK must not be overcrowded or contravene public health regulations.

Tuberculosis (TB) Test Requirements

A child applying for entry clearance on the Recognised Overseas Adoption route must, if Appendix Tuberculosis applies, provide a valid medical certificate confirming they have undergone screening for active pulmonary tuberculosis and that this tuberculosis is not present in them.

Eligibility under Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention for the Adoption: Recognised Overseas Adoption Route

If the applicant meets the Requirements for Adoption, but does not meet the suitability or other eligibility requirements (subject to AD 21.2.), the decision maker must be satisfied that refusal of the application would breach Article 8 of the Human Rights Convention, because it would result in unjustifiably harsh consequences for the applicant or their adoptive family.
Where AD 21.1. applies and the applicant falls for refusal under SUI 2.1, SUI 2.3, SUI 3.1, SUI 4.1, and SUI 5.1. of Part Suitability, the application on the Adoption: Recognised Overseas Adoption route, must be refused.

Period and Conditions of Grant

The applicant will be granted settlement if either:

both adoptive parents are British citizens, settled or live in the UK and have a right to stay without restriction; or
in the case of sole parental responsibility, the adoptive parent is a British Citizen, settled or lives in the UK and has a right to stay without restriction.

If the adoptive parent(s) is not a British Citizen, settled or living in the UK with a right to stay without restriction, the applicant will be granted permission which ends on the same date as the permission granted to their adoptive parent(s).

The grant of entry clearance will be subject to the following conditions:

work is permitted; and
study is permitted; and
no access to public funds.

How Can We Help?

Our specialist team of child visa solicitors can provide expert immigration advice and legal representation on a fixed-fee basis in relation to your entry clearance application for limited leave to enter as a child adopted under the Overseas Recognised Adoption. Our fixed fee for your entry clearance application for limited leave to enter as an adopted child will cover all the work of our child visa solicitors until the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) issues a decision on your application. The casework to be carried out by our child visa solicitors in relation to your entry clearance application for limited leave to enter as an adopted child will entail the following:

Advice on requirements: Our child visa solicitors will advise you on the relevant requirements you have to meet for your entry clearance application for limited leave to enter as an adopted child to succeed.

Advice on documents: Our child visa solicitors will prepare and email you a comprehensive list of supporting documents to be submitted in support of your entry clearance application for limited leave to enter as an adopted child.

Assessment of documents: Our child visa solicitors will assess your documents to ensure that all documents you provide in support of your child's entry clearance application under the Overseas Recognised Adoption comply with the Immigration Rules.

Completing the application form: Our child visa solicitors will complete the relevant application form for your entry clearance application for limited leave to enter as an adopted child.

Submitting application via Priority Service: Where possible, our child visa solicitors will submit your online entry clearance application via the priority service to obtain a faster decision on your limited leave to enter as an adopted child.

Booking an appointment with the application centre: After you submit your entry clearance application online, our child visa solicitors will book your appointment with the application centre to enrol your biometrics.

Preparing a detailed cover letter: Our specialist child visa solicitors will prepare a detailed cover letter in support of the entry clearance application to explain that all relevant legal requirements have been satisfied for the approval of the entry clearance application as a child adopted under the Overseas Recognised Adoption.

Uploading documents online: Before the biometrics enrolment date, our child visa solicitors will upload all supporting documents online to support the entry clearance application for a UK visa as a child adopted under the Overseas Recognised Adoption.

Follow-up work: Our child visa solicitors will handle all follow-up until the Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) issues a decision on the entry clearance application.

Specialist Immigration Solicitors for Adopted Child Visa Applications

Our child visa solicitors are specialists in adopted child visa applications. As one of the best child visa solicitors, we have an excellent track record of helping clients obtain an adopted child visa. Our highly experienced and fully qualified child visa solicitors can provide fast, friendly, reliable, and fixed-fee immigration advice and legal representation for your child's UK visa as an adopted child.

The high quality of UK visa and immigration legal services provided by our best team of immigration lawyers is self-evident from the 5-star Google Reviews rating by 99% of our clients. Our London-based immigration solicitors are available 7 days a week, 365 days a year, offering unwavering dedication and exceptional legal support for a wide range of UK visa and immigration cases. Our team of highly regarded immigration solicitors brings together more than 6 decades of collective, specialised expertise in successfully handling UK visa and immigration applications.

Meet Our Team of Child Visa Solicitors in London

At Premium Solicitors, our strength lies in the expertise, dedication, and unwavering commitment of our child visa solicitors in London. We understand that immigration matters are life-changing events, and our team is here to guide you through every step of the application process with professionalism and care.

Our team comprises a diverse group of child visa solicitors, each bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge. We are united by a shared goal: to deliver the highest level of legal support and advocacy tailored to your immigration needs.