{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/adoption-and-children-act-2002/section-50",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/adoption-and-children-act-2002/section-50.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2002/38",
  "legislation_title": "Adoption and Children Act 2002",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/adoption-and-children-act-2002",
  "path": "section/50",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "50",
  "heading": "Adoption by couple",
  "text": "(1) An adoption order may be made on the application of a couple where both of them have attained the age of 21 years.\n(2) An adoption order may be made on the application of a couple where—\n(a) one of the couple is the mother or the father of the person to be adopted and has attained the age of 18 years, and\n(b) the other has attained the age of 21 years.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "C",
      "label": "C1",
      "text": "S. 50(1)(2) applied (with modifications) (30.12.2005) by The Adoptions with a Foreign Element Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/392), regs. 1(1), 11(1)(n), 52, 55"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "S. 50 in force at 30.12.2005 by S.I. 2005/2213, art. 2(c) (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2005/2897, arts. 3-16)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/38/section/50",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:18:55.944329+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}