YOUR STARTING POINT
Domestic and intercountry adoption are not two versions of the same waiting list. Use this map to understand the differences and prepare specific questions for the proper authorities.
01 / FIND YOUR STARTING POINT
01 / IN ITALY
The court considers declarations of availability and looks for a family suited to a particular child. It is not an automatic waiting-list allocation.
02 / FROM ABROAD
Italian suitability assessment is followed by appointment of a CAI-authorised organisation and the origin country’s procedures.
03 / STILL DECIDING
Keep the different deadlines, authorities and consequences of changes in family circumstances separate.
02 / KEEP DEADLINES SEPARATE
The domestic declaration of availability is valid for three years. This is not a three-year promise of matching; renewal is subject to the relevant instructions.
Source: Ministry of Justice ↗CAI states that the intercountry organisation must be appointed within one year of notification of the suitability decree, without extension of that period.
Source: CAI FAQ C3 ↗03 / CHECK BEFORE ACTING
Confirm the correct court and download its latest forms. In Piedmont, check regional preparation requirements.
Read more ↗Check the CAI register and ask for an itemised written mandate and cost breakdown.
Read more ↗Pregnancy, domestic pre-adoptive placement or another adoption can require notification and reassessment of an intercountry process.
Read more ↗Check year and counting unit. Court proceedings, CAI cases and individual children are not interchangeable.
Read more ↗IMPORTANT
This site does not provide matching or decide eligibility. The court, CAI and authorised organisation provide the operative instructions. Independent Italian legal review of these pages is still pending.