Adoption and Children Act (Northern Ireland) 2022

Status conferred by adoption

66.—(1) An adopted person is to be treated in law as if born as the child of the adopters or adopter.

(2) An adopted person is the legitimate child of the adopters or adopter and, if adopted by—

(a) two persons who are a couple; or

(b) one of a couple under section 48(2),

is to be treated as the child of the relationship of the couple in question.

(3) An adopted person—

(a) if adopted by one of a couple under section 48(2), is to be treated in law as not being the child of any person other than the adopter and the other one of the couple; and

(b) in any other case, is to be treated in law, subject to subsection (4), as not being the child of any person other than the adopters or adopter;

but this subsection does not affect any reference in this Act to a person’s natural parent or to any other natural relationship.

(4) In the case of a person adopted by one of the person’s natural parents as sole adoptive parent, subsection (3)(b) has no effect as respects entitlement to property depending on relationship to that parent, or as respects anything else depending on that relationship.

(5) This section has effect from the date of the adoption.

(6) Subject to the provisions of this Chapter and Schedule 4, this section—

(a) applies for the interpretation of statutory provisions or instruments passed or made before as well as after the adoption, and so applies subject to any contrary indication; and

(b) has effect as respects things done, or events occurring, on or after the adoption.

(7) This section—

(a) does not apply to a statutory provision or other instrument passed or made before 1st October 1989 in so far as it contains a disposition of property; and

(b) does not apply to any public general Act in its application to any disposition of property in a statutory provision or other instrument passed or made before 1st October 1989.