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International Adoption
Each year thousands of children are adopted by families living in a different country. This type of adoption is called international adoption (sometimes called “intercountry”). The process must satisfy the laws of the country in which the adopting family lives as well as the laws of the country in which the child lives.
Types of international adoption are:
- Hague Convention
- Non-Hague Convention
The Hague Convention is an international treaty designed to promote and protect the best interests of the children, biological families, and adoptive families who are involved in international adoptions.
There are more than 80 participating countries, including the United States, which became a part of the Hague Convention on April 1, 2008. Those countries which are not part of the Hague convention may have different adoption laws and requirements.
Both Hague and Non-Hague international adoptions involve two basic U.S. determinations:
- The suitability of the adoptive parents.
- Whether the child's adoption meets eligibility requirements in order for the child to immigrate to the United States.
When a U.S. citizen wants to adopt a child from another country, they must have a homestudy completed by an accredited agency as defined by the Intercountry Adoption Universal Accreditation Act (UAA).
The U.S.Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is responsible for determining the eligibility of prospective adoptive parents as well as the children who will immigrate to the United States. The USCIS must approve all international adoptions.
The adoption laws and requirements for the country in which the child lives will vary. Age requirements, marriage requirements, income and residency requirements will differ from country to country and they change frequently.
You can get up-to-date information on specific country requirements and adoption processes on the U.S. Department of State web site.
All countries require the adopting family to create some form of an Adoption Dossier. The Dossier is a collection of legal paperwork, similar to the paperwork needed for a U.S. homestudy.
You will need copies of your birth and marriage certificates as well as other legal documents. These must all translated into the language of the country from which you are adopting and authenticated at the state level.
The adoption agency or attorney you choose to work with will give you a list of the documents required and guide you through the process of creating your Dossier.
According to U.S. adoption statistics, in 2013 there were 7,092 international adoptions. Just over 45% of the children were under the age of 2, while 16% were 3 to 4 years old, and the remaining 39% were over 5 years old. There were 55% female and 45% male children adopted from other countries.
The top 5 adopting countries (those with the most international adoptions):
- China
- Ethiopia
- Russia
- South Korea
- Ukraine
Additional information about international adoption:
