The Hungarian government is preparing to overhaul its restrictive, Orbán-era child adoption laws following a comprehensive child-protection report that warned the current system is on the verge of collapse. The 220-page document will serve as the foundation for rewriting adoption regulations, marking a major policy shift for the country.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced that his administration will revise the rules governing adoption by single individuals and same-sex couples. Describing the existing framework as unsustainable, Magyar argued that deciding who is eligible to adopt a child should be a task for professionals, such as psychologists and child-protection experts, rather than a political decision. He emphasized that politicians need to step back from the issue, stating that the system cannot function properly in its current state.
According to the Hungarian premier, the primary consideration in adoption cases must always be ensuring that children can grow up in a loving family, rather than focusing on the marital status or sexual orientation of the prospective parents. The government is already drafting amendments to replace the legislation established by the Fidesz administration under Magyar's predecessor, longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
The current system, which Magyar intends to reform, heavily favors married couples and severely limits adoption opportunities for single people and same-sex couples. In December 2020, the Orbán government tightened both the Hungarian Fundamental Law and the adoption act, defining a mother as a biological female and a father as a biological male. This change made married couples the default eligible adopters.
Since same-sex couples in Hungary are legally barred from marrying and can only enter into registered partnerships, they had previously bypassed restrictions by having one partner apply for adoption as a single person. However, the 2020 legislation closed this loophole by requiring single applicants to secure a personal ministerial permit. These permits were initially issued by former President Katalin Novák and later by the minister responsible for family policy, effectively blocking the LGBTQ community from adopting children.
The proposed changes mark a stark ideological departure from the policies of the Orbán governments, which held power from 2010 until April 2026. This reform represents one of the most significant human rights and child-protection initiatives undertaken in Hungary since the Tisza Party won a landslide victory in the April 2026 elections, ending Fidesz's 16-year rule. Following that election, domestic and international human rights organizations anticipated immediate moves to restore LGBTQ rights, especially after the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled just before the election that Hungary's previous "child-protection" law seriously breached EU law.
The government maintains that the existing system is unsustainable because numerous children remain in state care while qualified prospective parents, whether single or in same-sex relationships, are blocked by strict political filters and bureaucratic obstacles. The upcoming measures aim to restore the pre-2020, profession-based assessment system, signaling the new administration's intent to address social issues through a pragmatic, expert-led approach rather than using them as symbolic political battlegrounds.
The announcement has sparked strong reactions within Hungary. Local opposition media outlets have criticized the move, accusing Magyar of giving in to the "LGBTQ lobby," while independent media outlets have framed the announcement as a pledge to restore professional standards to the adoption process.
