Pre-adoption courses

If you have not adopted before, you must attend an adoption preparation course in order to be approved as an adoptive parent.

The adoption preparation course is part of phase 2 of the assessment and approval process. You can only register for the course once you have been approved in phase 1 by the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset).

The course consists of two parts, each lasting two days with an interval of approximately three weeks between them. That is four days in total.

It is a residential course, and overnight stays are compulsory for both parts of the course. It is only possible to register for a course that includes participation in both parts of the course. This means that it is not possible to move the course in relation to the first and second parts of the course. 

If you are applying for approval as an adoptive parent together with your partner, you must attend the course together. 

The course costs DKK 3,000 per person. 

Registration for the course is financially binding, and you can only participate once the fee has been paid. If you cancel your registration for a course less than 14 days before the start of the course, the fee is non-refundable.

Application form pre-adoption course 2026 

The purpose of the course is to help you make an informed decision about adoption, so that after the course you feel better able to assess your own resources in relation to becoming an adoptive parent. Another purpose is to inform you about the special situation of the adopted child and what this means for you as a prospective parent.

There are watertight barriers between phase 2 and phase 3 at the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset), which means that no information about your participation in this course will be passed on to the Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset).

The course is developed through interaction between you, the course leaders and the other participants, and we alternate between group discussions, presentations, films, case studies, pair assignments and debates. The course does not end with an actual exam, but you are expected to participate actively throughout.

You will receive course materials that you can use both in connection with the course and as a reference later in the adoption process. 

During the first few days of the course, the focus will be on you as a prospective adoptive parent – on your journey towards the decision to adopt. We will discuss the significance of childlessness, the idea of a biological child, cohabitation and the stories we bring with us into parenthood: stories about our own upbringing and our attachment history. We will also touch on the special situation of single adopters.

In addition, there will be a focus on life as an adoptive family, the child's biological parents and the child's upbringing prior to adoption.

On the last day of the course, we will take a closer look at how attachment is a shared process that goes hand in hand between child and parent. We will also take a closer look at what attachment means for the child's development opportunities, what the formation of your shared attachment history might look like, the first meeting between child and new parent, and the initial period thereafter.