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Section 67: Status conferred by adoption

Adoption and Children Act 2002 · 2002 c. 38View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 1: Adoption — Chapter 4: Status of Adopted Children

An adopted person is to be treated in law as if born as the child of the adopters or adopter.

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

a couple, or
one of a couple under section 51(2),

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

An adopted person—

if adopted by one of a couple under section 51(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
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.

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.

This section has effect from the date of the adoption.

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

applies for the interpretation of enactments or instruments passed or made before as well as after the adoption, and so applies subject to any contrary indication, and
has effect as respects things done, or events occurring, on or after the adoption.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.