Adoption Benefit

Overview

An Adoption Benefit may be awarded to a person who adopts a child of any age.

What you’ll get

The Adoption Benefit entitlement is of fourteen (14) weeks in one payment.

If there are more than one (1) adoption of children at the same year, only one adoption benefit is granted.

When foster parents of a fostered child decides to adopt this same child, the Foster Care Allowance will be gradually stopped over a period of four (4) years, or until the child reaches twenty-one (21) years of age, whichever comes first. In such circumstances, in the subsequent first year of adoption, eighty (80%) of the Foster Care Allowance will continue to be paid, sixty (60%) will be paid for the second year, forty (40%) in the third year and twenty (20%) for the fourth year.

Please click here for a Schedule of Benefits Rates.

Eligibility

General eligibility criteria:

• The applicant must be a citizen of Malta or married/cohabiting with a citizen of Malta, or is a citizen of a European Union Member State, or a citizen of a member country of the European Social Charter, or has a refugee status, or a third-country national and ordinarily resides in Malta or Gozo.
• If the applicant is in employment he/she must not have availed him/herself of paid adoption leave by his/her employer.
• The applicant can be a self-occupied but must provide proof that claimant was not working during the fourteen (14) weeks of the claim.

Documentation Required

General documentation:

• The official adoption certificate of each child adopted, for whom the claim is being made for.
• An official birth certificate of each child adopted, for whom the claim is being made for.
• A self-occupied applicant has to provide a copy of the official receipts of Social Security Contributions paid for the year prior to the claim and a declaration that the claimant was not working during the eighteen (18) weeks for the claim..
• Declaration confirming the dates of the eighteen (18) weeks unpaid adoption leave by the employer if employed.
• For third-country nationals, refugees and Social Charter country applicants, who are ordinary residents in Malta, have to provide a copy of a Valid Residence Permit.
• In case of applicant who is in cohabitation, the applicant must provide an Official Cohabitation Certificate.

How to apply

An Adoption Benefit application may be submitted once all adoption documents are issued or within six (6) months from the official date of adoption of the child as stipulated by the Social Security Act (Cap. 318.). The benefit, or part of it, may be forfeited if the application is submitted late.

Fill in and submit the application online.