VISAHJELP

Adoption (visa long séjour « adoption » — MAI) — SUSPENDED FOR VIETNAM 5 MAR 2026–~5 MAR 2027

**SUSPENDED FOR VIETNAM — 5 MARCH 2026 to ~5 MARCH 2027.** Per service-public.gouv.fr F935 (verbatim): «Les procédures d'adoption internationale par toute personne résidant en France sont suspendues … Pour une durée d'1 an à compter du 5 mars 2026, pour les enfants ayant leur résidence habituelle au Vietnam.» French adopters cannot initiate adoption procedures for children residing in Vietnam during this suspension. The information below describes the pathway as it stands once the suspension lifts — do NOT initiate Vietnamese adoption procedures during the suspension period; advise affected adopters accordingly. Re-verify the suspension status on F935 before each consultation, as it may be lifted earlier or extended. Long-stay visa pathway « adoption » for a foreign minor child adopted by a French national or by a foreign national usually residing in France. **The visa is issued only after approval by the Mission de l'Adoption Internationale (MAI)** — without MAI approval no visa can be delivered. Per france-visas.gouv.fr/adoption: the MAI is competent when there is a **foreign court decision authorising the adoption** AND the **adopter is French or a foreign national usually residing in France**. The MAI is NOT competent when the child is adopted under the laws of their country of residence by parents themselves usually residing abroad — those cases are routed instead through the « enfant de Français » sub-track of family-of-french (if the parent is French) OR through the regroupement-familial procedure (if the parent is a non-EU foreign resident). For Vietnamese-applicant context: this is the path for a Vietnamese minor adopted via a Vietnamese court decision by French (or foreign-resident-in-France) adoptive parents. Vietnam is a Hague Adoption Convention country (acceded 2012), so the procedure runs through the **Hague mechanism via the AFA (Agence Française de l'Adoption)** or an OAA (Organisme Autorisé pour l'Adoption) on the French side and the **DAI / MoLISA** (Cục Con nuôi — Department for Adoption under the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs) on the Vietnamese side. Distinct from family-of-french (biological children), family-of-eu (Directive 2004/38), and family-of-foreign-resident (regroupement-familial, ascendants- and minors-only without adoption decision).

LAST VERIFIED · 2026-05-14 SOURCE: France-Visas · Independent · not affiliated

From the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“**SUSPENSION IN EFFECT**: per F935, Vietnam adoption procedures are suspended 5 March 2026 to ~5 March 2027. No case can proceed during this period. Once the suspension lifts: **The MAI is the gatekeeper** — the consular post does not decide independently. The complete adoption file is transmitted to the MAI in France, which consults and approves before the visa is delivered. Once the MAI approves: the visa long séjour « adoption » is issued by the Embassy of France in Hanoi or Consulate-General in HCMC. The visa serves as evidence of regular entry into France and, per F13220, marks the starting point of the child's arrival in the adopter's household for benefits purposes (e.g. prime à l'adoption / PAJE). Post-arrival in France: the adopter manages the child's legal-status integration (transcription of the adoption decision into French état civil if applicable, request for French nationality, etc.). The child does NOT individually require a carte de séjour — minors are exempt per F2687. EES does NOT apply (long-stay regime + minor).”
— French Ministry of Foreign Affairs · French consulates

What you need

  • **Currently: Vietnam adoption procedures are SUSPENDED until ~5 March 2027 per F935.** Once the suspension lifts:
  • Per france-visas.gouv.fr/adoption and F935: (1) **Foreign court decision authorising the adoption** — for Vietnamese adoptees, this is a decision of the Vietnamese court following the Hague-Convention procedure coordinated by the DAI/MoLISA + AFA/OAA. (2) **Adopter must usually reside in France** (French national or foreign national with regular French residence). (3) **Adopter's agrément (adoption authorisation)** issued by the French departmental council (F1383) — a 9-month investigation process completed BEFORE the adoption procedure abroad begins. (4) **MAI approval** for the adoption-visa issuance — without it no visa can be delivered. (5) Standard visa-application documents: passport of the child, biometric photos, civil-status documents (Vietnamese birth certificate, adoption decision, court documents), accommodation evidence in France (adopter's residence), health-insurance arrangements. (6) Vietnamese-language documents notarised + sworn-translated + legalised through the Vietnamese MoFA + French Embassy chain. Filed at TLS Contact Hanoi or HCMC by the adoptive parent (the child being a minor).

Checklist

11
  • VIETNAM SUSPENSION STATUS — verify on F935 before any case advice *
  • Long-stay visa application form (Cerfa 14571-05) — filed by adopter on behalf of the minor child *
  • Two recent identical biometric photos of the child (35mm × 45mm, ICAO standard) *
  • Original passport of the child (validity covering the planned stay + 3 months) *
  • Vietnamese birth certificate of the child — original + sworn translation + legalisation *
02

Pre-step (adopter side, before adoption procedure)

  • French agrément d'adoption (F1383) — issued by adopter's conseil départemental *
03

Adoption decision

  • Vietnamese court decision authorising the adoption (Hague-Convention procedure) *
  • MAI approval — Mission de l'Adoption Internationale issues the green light for visa delivery *
04

Adopter side (Vietnam visa file)

  • Adopter's identity + French residence proof (carte d'identité or passport + justificatif de domicile) *
05

Fees

  • Visa fee — verify current amount on france-visas before each filing *
  • TLS Contact service fee — EUR 25 per applicant *

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