INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION
Can single people adopt in Italy? The 2025 judgment explained
The legal position for single applicants changed significantly on 21 March 2025. But the headline 'single people can adopt in Italy' is too broad: it obscures which procedure was changed, what the court still assesses and what a foreign country can require. Here is the more useful version.
Section 01
Exactly what Italy's Constitutional Court decided
In judgment 33/2025, the Constitutional Court held unconstitutional the exclusion of single people resident in Italy from applying for intercountry adoption suitability under Article 29-bis of Law 184/1983. The decision permits a single resident to declare availability to adopt a child resident abroad and request that the competent juvenile court assess suitability. It does not amount to an automatic suitability declaration, nor to a right to be matched with a child.
What to check
- The ruling expressly concerns single people resident in Italy.
- The applicant must still satisfy compatible statutory requirements.
- The child's best interests remain central to the court's decision.
Section 02
The ordinary domestic route remains different
Ordinary domestic adoption under Article 6 of Law 184/1983 refers to married couples. There are legal provisions for adoption in special cases, which require separate analysis. The 2025 constitutional ruling does not simply replace domestic law with the international rule. That distinction matters when people search for 'single parent adoption in Italy' and receive broad answers with no legal qualifiers.
What to check
- State clearly whether advice concerns ordinary domestic, special-case or intercountry adoption.
- Avoid general eligibility charts that make the three routes look identical.
Section 03
A concrete example: the Turin court's single-applicant pathway
The Juvenile Court of Turin has published a separate section for intercountry applications by single people, explicitly referencing judgment 33/2025. Its forms page contains specific instructions and forms for people of 'stato libero', including a dedicated application form. Applicants in Piemonte or Valle d'Aosta should check those instructions and the preparation-course requirements; people elsewhere should use their own competent court.
What to check
- Use the current single-applicant form rather than an old couple's form.
- Ask how preparation and supporting documentation are organised locally.
- Keep a copy of the exact documents submitted.
Section 04
What happens after a favourable Italian assessment?
The applicant still needs to follow the authorised-organisation pathway and the rules of a child's country of origin. Not every country accepts single applicants, and being Italian-eligible does not make a foreign-country match available. An organisation should be able to explain its actual current destinations and whether those destinations accept cases matching the applicant's circumstances.
PRACTICAL ANSWERS
Frequently asked questions
Did the judgment make all adoption routes available to single people?
No. The ruling specifically concerns access to suitability assessment for intercountry adoption by single Italy residents.
Can a foreign authority still reject single applicants?
Country-of-origin rules may differ. Eligibility in the Italian court stage does not override foreign requirements.
Is a single person guaranteed an adoption after approval?
No. Suitability and matching are separate decisions, each concerned with the child's interests.