Netherlands plans to end foreign adoptions, make name changes cheaper

The Dutch government plans to permanently end foreign adoptions, citing widespread abuses, while also proposing a law to make it cheaper and easier for people to change their names.

The bill, introduced by caretaker State Secretary for Justice and Security Arno Rutte, would block all future international adoptions. "We cannot prevent too many abuses." The law would allow those who have already initiated the adoption process to complete it.

The law would also allow adult adoption, which is currently prohibited. This would let caregivers formalize legal bonds that began in childhood.

Separately, the same proposal would make it simpler and less costly to change a first or last name, initially targeting people who were adopted but open to everyone. Currently, changing a last name costs 835 euros, and a first name costs about 1,000 euros. “It will become much cheaper, but it must remain cost-covering,” Rutte said.

Under the proposal, individuals could change their first and last names once, without providing a reason, through the municipal civil registry, replacing the current process involving multiple agencies. The measure does not apply to descendants of enslaved people, who already have the right to change their names for free.