International adoptions: country of origin, geographical area, age band and procedures

The Mission de l’adoption intercountry (MAI) is the central French authority for intercountry adoption, provided for in the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, to which France has been a party since 1998.

Created by a decree of 14 April 2009, the MAI is placed within the Directorate of French Abroad and Consular Administration (DFAE), at the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. Since 2001, it has published each year a comprehensive report containing all the figures relating to the adoption of foreign children by French or foreign nationals residing in France.

For the years after 1994, the collection of data is based on the extraction of statistics from the adoption file registration and monitoring software:
— the census of long-stay adoption visas (VLSA) issued by French consular posts to children adopted abroad, on the advice of MAI, by French nationals or foreigners residing in France;
— the information provided by authorised operators for adoptions carried out in countries of the European Union (Hungary, Bulgaria, etc.).

For the years 1979-1993, the compilation of statistics by country of origin contains the data published in the 1995 Mattei report (Annex 8: status of visas granted to children adopted by French), corrected by some inconsistencies.

Adoptions by French nationals whose habitual residence is abroad are not taken into account.

Statistics on the various countries of origin and host countries have been compiled by Professor Peter Selman and are available on the website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (www.hcch.net).

The main features and developments of international adoption in France are published annually on the website of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.