Age of Adoptive Parents

British Columbia Legislation does not specify an upper age limit for adoptive parents – any one or two people over the age of 19 can adopt in B.C. However, many of the countries we work with, in our International programs, have age restrictions for adoptive parents and there are very few Intercountry programs that accept applications from applicants over 50 years of age.

We do not discriminate based on the age of applicants but we assess all families’ ability to meet the long terms needs of a child based on their financial stability, heath and support network. For applicants over 50, it is likely that one or both will be in their 70’s when the child is finishing secondary school; thus issues such as financial and retirement planning and health require thoughtful consideration to ensure a child needs will be well met over time. These are issues that will be examined in depth in the homestudy.