COST OF DOMESTIC ADOPTION IN THE PHILIPPINES

A Comprehensive Legal-Practical Guide under Republic Act No. 11642 and Related Issuances

1. Introduction

Domestic adoption in the Philippines has undergone a fundamental shift from a judicial to an administrative model with the passage of Republic Act No. 11642, the “Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Child Care Act” (approved 06 January 2022, in force since 2023 upon effectivity of its Implementing Rules and Regulations, “IRR”).³ The new law created the National Authority for Child Care (NACC), which now processes nearly all local adoptions, replacing the former court-centered regime of R.A. 8552 (1998) and R.A. 9523 (2009).

One of the principal policy goals of R.A. 11642 is to lower the cost and shorten the timeline of adoption by:

removing filing fees previously payable to trial courts;
centralising social services within the NACC; and
standardising documentary and service fees nationwide.

Yet adoptive parents should still budget for several mandatory government charges and ancillary, market-driven expenses. This article groups these costs into six logical buckets, explains the relevant legal bases, and flags available fee waivers or benefits.

2. Statutory and Regulatory Cost Schedule

Cost Item	Statutory / Regulatory Basis	Typical Amount (₱) *	Notes & Explanations
Petition Filing Fee	R.A. 11642 §21; NACC Fee Schedule (2023)	2,000 – 6,000	Payable upon lodgement of the Petition for Administrative Adoption at the Regional Alternative Child Care Office (RACCO). Indigent petitioners may request a fee waiver under §23.
Home Study/Child Case Study Report	R.A. 11642 §16; IRR Rule 6	0 (government) or 10,000 – 25,000 (accredited NGO/private agency)	Conducted pro bono by a government social worker when resources allow; otherwise the adopter may engage an accredited agency at cost.
Supervised Trial Custody (STC) Monitoring	R.A. 11642 §17	0 – 2,500	Usually free when handled by government social workers; modest honoraria or transport reimbursement may be charged if monitoring is outsourced to an NGO.
Certificate of Adoption & Amended Birth Certificate	R.A. 11642 §25-26; Civil Registry Law (R.A. 3753)	~330 – 1,000	Covers registration of the Order of Adoption, issuance of new PSA birth certificate, and annotation fees.
Legal Representation (optional)	Art. III, New Code of Professional Responsibility (2023)	20,000 – 50,000 (administrative) 50,000 – 120,000 (legacy court cases)	Not required, but many parents retain counsel to draft petitions or handle complex fact patterns (e.g., opposition, foreign spouses, legitimation concerns).
Documentary Clearances (NBI, Police, Medical, Barangay, etc.)	R.A. 11642 §15; IRR Annexes	1,500 – 3,000	NBI clearance (130 ₱); police & barangay certificates (50–200 ₱); medical exams incl. HIV/HBsAg/chest X-ray (1,000–2,000 ₱).
Pre-Adoption Parent Education & Seminars	IRR Rule 7	0 – 5,000	Government-run seminars are free; private facilitators may charge per session.
Incidental Costs (travel, notarisation, photocopies)	Practice	2,000 – 10,000	Varies by distance to RACCO/NACC HQ, number of visits, courier of authenticated documents, and notarisation.

* Figures represent prevailing 2024–2025 Metro Manila rates, rounded to the nearest ₱500. Provincial costs trend lower, but travel outlays may rise.

3. Detailed Discussion of Each Cost Component

3.1 Petition Filing Fee

Section 21 of R.A. 11642 authorises the NACC to set and collect “reasonable costs to defray administrative expenses.” The inaugural schedule (NACC Memorandum Circular No. 1-2023) pegs a ₱2,000 base filing fee, with incremental surcharges for multiple children adopted simultaneously. The fee is paid through NACC-accredited payment channels and is receipted.

Fee Waiver: Section 23 empowers the NACC to waive or reduce fees for indigent or solo parent petitioners, upon sworn declaration and proof of income below the poverty threshold published by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

3.2 Home Study and Child Case Study Reports

A licensed social worker must prepare a Home Study Report (HSR) on the adopter and a Child Case Study Report (CCSR) on the adoptee (§16). When done by RACCO personnel, labour cost is absorbed by the State; the adopter shoulders only the social worker’s transport allowance if field visits are outside the LGU. However, due to caseload constraints, many families commission accredited child-placing agencies (CPAs); their professional fees average ₱10,000–25,000 for the HSR bundle, inclusive of psychosocial testing.

3.3 Supervised Trial Custody (STC)

The STC is a six-month period (extendable once) during which the child lives with the adopter (§17). Monitoring visits (home, school, or virtual) are usually free. In practice, families set aside ₱500–₱2,500 for the social worker’s mileage and report reproduction.

3.4 Civil Registry and PSA Fees

Upon issuance of a Certificate of Adoption by the NACC Executive Director (§25), the adopter must:

register it with the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) of the adoptee’s place of birth within thirty (30) days; and
secure an amended PSA-issued birth certificate reflecting the adopters as the child’s parents.

Standard LCR annotation ranges ₱200-₱500; a PSA security-paper copy presently costs ₱155 (walk-in) or ₱365 (courier door-to-door). Additional Affidavit to Use the Surname of the Father (AUSF) fees apply if legitimation issues intersect adoption.

3.5 Professional/Legal Fees

Because administrative adoption dispenses with formal hearing, lawyer participation is optional. Nonetheless, legal advice remains helpful in:

complex relative adoptions where consent of an incarcerated or absent biological parent is difficult to secure;
rectification of documentary defects (late registration, simulated births); or
appeals to the Court of Appeals under §30.

Post-2023 retainers cluster between ₱20,000–₱50,000 for document-driven assistance. By contrast, legacy judicial petitions—still required for adult adoptions and rescission—command higher fees owing to courtroom appearances.

Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) representation is FREE for qualified indigents in rescission or older court-filed cases.

3.6 Documentary Clearances and Health Checks

The IRR requires each adopter to submit:

NBI clearance (₱130, valid one year);
Police & Barangay clearances attesting to good moral character;
Medical certificate (physical, psychological, HIV, HBsAg, VDRL);
Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) or Marriage Certificate (₱210); and
Income tax return / Certificate of Employment (usually free, but some employers charge for expedited issuance).

3.7 Incidental & Hidden Expenses

Budget realistically for:

Inter-island travel if child and adopter reside in different regions;
Accommodation and meals during STC visits;
Notarisation and authentication (DFA Apostille) if any foreign documents are involved; and
Opportunity cost: R.A. 11642 grants a 60-day paid adoption leave to female employees (mirroring R.A. 11210 maternity benefits), but male adopters must rely on ordinary leave credits.

4. Prohibited Payments and Criminal Liability

Sections 46-50 strictly outlaw “child buying,” “finder’s fees,” and any consideration paid directly to a biological parent or intermediary. Violation constitutes trafficking in persons under R.A. 9208 as amended, punishable by reclusion temporal to reclusion perpetua and a fine of ₱1 million – ₱5 million. Adopters should therefore insist on official receipts and transact only through the NACC or duly licensed CPAs.

5. Tax, Insurance, and Employment Benefits

Benefit	Governing Law	Key Points
Additional Dependent Exemption (until replaced by TRAIN)	NIRC §35(B) (suspended under R.A. 10963)	Although personal exemptions were repealed for compensation earners in 2018, self-employed or mixed-income parents may still deduct legitimate child-care expenses as business costs subject to substantiation.
60-Day Adoption Leave (paid)	R.A. 11642 §39	For female employees, convertible to cash if company policy so allows. Male employees: check CBA or company HR manual.
PhilHealth & SSS Coverage	PhilHealth Circular 2021-0013; SSS Manual	Once adoption order is registered, the child qualifies as a dependent for PhilHealth and as a secondary beneficiary under SSS death and disability benefits.
Solo Parent Benefits	R.A. 8972 (as amended by R.A. 11861, 2022)	A solo adopter may claim additional leave (Parental Leave of 7 days) and discounts, subject to DSWD Solo Parent ID.

6. Relative, Step-Parent, and Adult Adoptions: Cost Variations

Relative / Kinship Adoptions within the fourth civil degree often involve lower investigatory costs because familial bonds are presumed benevolent; the NACC may dispense with the STC or abbreviate it to three months.
Step-Parent Adoptions frequently require only the consent of the non-custodial biological parent; filing fees remain the same but documentary proofs (marriage certificate, death certificate if widowed) raise incidental costs.
Adult Adoptions (of persons ≥ 18 yrs) must still pass through judicial proceedings under Rule 99 of the Rules of Court, so petitioners incur full court docket fees (₱3,000 – ₱4,500), sheriff’s expenses, and attorney’s fees akin to legacy practice.

7. Indicative Total Out-of-Pocket Cost Scenarios (2025)

Scenario	Low-End (₱)	High-End (₱)	Notes
Middle-income couple, one child, government social worker, self-prepared forms	8,000	20,000	Majority spent on clearances, PSA documents, and travel.
Couple engaging private CPA social worker & lawyer for drafting	40,000	85,000	Driven by HSR professional fee and legal retainer.
Complex judicial step-parent adoption (pre-2022 case)	70,000	150,000	Includes court docket, publication, lawyer’s appearance fees, and longer timeline.

8. Timelines and the Cost of Delay

While not a direct monetary line item, time is money. Under §27, the NACC must decide within 60 days of receiving the complete dossier, and the STC is a fixed six months, so an uncomplicated case can achieve finality in 8–10 months. Each missing document, failed STC visit, or postponed seminar re-starts the clock and raises incidental expenses (travel, leave without pay). Early preparation of clearances and medical tests—valid for one year—minimises these risks.

9. Practical Cost-Saving Tips

Coordinate with your RACCO early to avail of free government social work services and waive filing fees where eligible.
Batch document procurement (e.g., NBI, CENOMAR, medical tests) in one trip.
Join adoptive-parent support groups; many share templates for affidavits and referrals to low-cost psych testing centres.
Maintain digital copies of all receipts—these become proof of legitimate expenses if you later claim tax deductions or employer reimbursement.
Plan leave strategically around STC monitoring; schedule work-from-home days to avoid foregone income.

10. Conclusion

Domestic adoption in the Philippines is markedly more affordable post-R.A. 11642, but it is not cost-free. Government-mandated expenses—filing, documentation, registration—are predictable and modest, often under ₱10,000 for straightforward cases. The bulk of variability lies in professional-service fees (social worker, lawyer) and logistical outlays (travel, seminars). By understanding each cost driver, availing of statutory fee waivers, and leveraging State-provided social work, prospective parents can bring the life-long joy of legal parenthood within prudent financial reach.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult the NACC or a qualified Filipino family-law practitioner for case-specific guidance.