LEGAL FRAMEWORK

INTERNATIONAL SOCIAL SERVICE-HELLENIC BRANCH is an international, independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, certified as a social care services provider and recognized by the Presidential Decree 226/99 (Government Gazette 190/Α’/20.9.99) as well as with law 4538/2018 no. 22 par. 2b, as specialized in handling intercountry adoptions. 

The activities of the Branch, on an international and national level, are governed by the International Treaties and the Conventions that have been ratified by Greece. More specifically, the Branch is active in matters that are authenticated by:

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 1989 

The 1951 Refugee Convention 

The Hague Convention of 1961 for the Protection of Minors 

The Hague Convention on the civil aspects of international Child Abduction of 1980 

The Hague Convention of 1993 on the Protection of Children and co-operation in respect of Inter-country Adoption

The legislation that covers the Intercountry Adoptions is:

  1. Law 2447/1996 concerning the “Adoption, guardianship, fostering of a minor, judicial support, judicial supervision of the foreign affairs and related substantive procedural and transitional provisions.”
  2. Law 3765/2009 regarding the “Convention on the protection of children and the cooperation concerning Intercountry Adoption” that was signed in Hague on the 29-5-1993
  3. Law 4538/2018 concerning the “Measures for the promotion of the institutions of Fostering and Adoption and other provisions”
  4. General Data Protection Regulation (679/2016) that was put into practice on the 25/5/2018.
  5. Presidential Decree 226/20-9-1999 regarding the “Services and organizations that are competent to conduct a social enquiry report on the adoption of minors and the process of the preparation and realization of these adoptions.”

There is a modification only in the Article 1.

  1. Ministerial Order D. 11 53189/2249/11-10-2018 “Intercountry Adoptions- Recognized Services-Supporting Documents- Procedures”
  1. Ministerial Order D. 11 49074/2066/17-9-2018 “Programs of Training prospective adoptive parents and ongoing Educational Programs for the adoptive parents”