The effects and forms of adoption are governed by the Civil Code, Book I, Title VIII, Chapter 1, Sections I and II, articles 345 to 360 inclusive.
The judicial authority is responsible for admitting it.
Article 359 provides: "Within three months of this judgment (the judgment of the Court of Appeal admitting the adoption will be entered, at the request of one or other of the parties, in the civil status register (2) of the place where the adopter is domiciled.
This registration will only take place on the basis of a formal copy of the judgment of the Court of Appeal; and the adoption will remain without effect if it has not been registered within this period.
Form of adoption certificate :
The year one thousand eight hundred ...., on .... of the month of ...., at .... hours before us (name and position of official) registrar of the commune of .... arrondissement of ...., province of ...., appeared N. (surname, forenames, age, profession and place of residence of the adopter) and N. (same indication for the adopted person), who have represented to us the judgement of the Court of First Instance at ...., delivered on ...., registered on ...., confirming the deed done before the Justice of the Peace of the canton of ...., arrondissement of ...., province of ...., on ...., by which N. .... declares that he adopts N. .... and the said N. .... accepts the adoption offered to him by N....., together with the judgement of the Court of Appeal at ...., delivered on ...., confirming the judgement of the Court of First Instance; and we, at the express request of the said N. and N. (or the said N.) transcribes the aforementioned adoption deed, which reads as follows ( transcribe here the adoption deed drawn up before the Justice of the Peace, together with the probate judgment and the admission order). Consequently, we have declared in the name of the law that N. .... has adopted N. ...., and have drawn up this deed in the presence of .... and ..... (gold mentionsdinaries when it comes to witnesses) who have signed it with the parties and us, after reading it.
Source: H. Wyvekens, Nouveau dictionnaire des Bourgmestres, des Échevins, des conseillers, receveurs et secrétaire communaux, des commissaires d'arrondissement, Bruylant-Christophe et compagnie, éditeurs, 1862, p 212.
