Overseas Adoptions Legislation Bill
This bill changes the rules around adopting children from overseas. Before, New Zealand's adoption laws didn't have enough protections, and some adopted children were harmed or exploited. The bill tightens who can apply to adopt a child from overseas, limits whether an overseas adoption automatically gives the child New Zealand citizenship or the right to move here, and lets the government create a list of countries whose adoption processes are considered safe enough. It comes into force on 1 May 2027.
What this affects
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An overseas adoption will no longer automatically give a child the right to get a visa or enter New Zealand — extra conditions must be met first.
the adopted person cannot, as a result of the adoption, be granted under the Immigration Act 2009 either a visa or an entry permission unless— the adopting parent or adopting parents were ordinarily resident in a country outside New Zealand for a period of 12 months or more immediately preceding the date of the overseas adoption and for a primary purpose unrelated to the adoption of a person; or the overseas adoption took place in a designated country when the adopting parent or adopting parents were ordinarily resident in New Zealand
There was also evidence that overseas adoptions posed risks to the integrity of New Zealand's immigration system.
Progress through Parliament
Have your say
This bill is open for public submissions to the Justice Committee. Anyone can tell the committee what they think, and you don’t need to be an expert. Submissions close 22 June 2026.
Bill text sourced from legislation.govt.nz (Parliamentary Counsel Office). Arapono’s summary and breakdown are drafted with AI grounded in that official text and reviewed by an Arapono editor for accuracy and neutrality before publishing. Arapono is non-partisan and takes no position on this bill.