Adopting a baby from another country can be a rewarding, culturally enriching experience. It also requires patience to pursue a process that requires reams of paperwork and may take many months to complete. Being prepared, practically and emotionally, can make the process go more smoothly.
Step 1
Select an agency. A licensed agency or social worker must complete a home study. You will also need an agency to facilitate the overseas adoption. It's easiest to use the same agency for both. Jean Nelson-Erichsen, author of "How to Adopt Internationally," recommends seeking a local, accredited agency. If the country from which you choose to adopt is a party to the Hague Adoption Convention (a treaty designed to safeguard intercountry adoptions), you must adopt through a Hague-accredited agency.
Step 2
Complete the home study. Once you choose an agency, the social worker will conduct a home study, meeting with you several times to determine if you would be suitable parents and to help you make the right choice regarding adopting a baby overseas. She will visit your home to make sure it is a suitable environment for a child.
Step 3
Get government approval. To adopt a child from another country and bring that child to live with you, you must meet eligibility requirements under your country's law. In the United States, file the I-600A form or I-800A form, along with your home study, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Step 4
Compile a collection of documents, including the home study, to submit to the foreign country. The paperwork requirements vary from country to country.
Step 5
Study the culture and language of your future child's country. It will take anywhere from several weeks to several months before you are matched with a child. This is an excellent time to study all you can about the culture of the country from which you are adopting.
Step 6
Accept a referral. The agency will send you information and paperwork for a specific child. If you accept this referral, you will submit the child's paperwork to your government for approval. In the United States, file form I-800 or I-600. If the USCIS determines that your child meets "orphan" status, it will grant provisional approval for the child to enter the United States.
Step 7
Travel to your child's country. Most countries require that adoptive parents visit that country at least once to finalize the adoption and to take the child home. You will also go to your government's overseas embassy or consulate to get the child's visa.
Tips and Warnings
- Before approaching an agency, talk to other parents who have adopted overseas, and ask yourself (and your partner) which countries and types of children you feel comfortable with. If you desire a newborn, remember that by the time she arrives home, your baby likely will be at least several months old. Consider whether you are ready to parent a child of another race or a child with special medical needs. Join Internet adoption forums specific to the country or countries you are considering.
- Ethica, a nonprofit group that advocates ethics in adoption, reports that illegal practices, such as baby buying or even kidnapping, have plagued adoption in many countries. Beware of any agency or facilitator that promises an "end run" around the usual procedures.
Things You'll Need
- Home study
- Forms for your government
- Forms for the overseas government
- $20,000 or more to cover all costs
References
- Intercountry Adoption: How to Adopt
- Rainbow Kids: How to Adopt a Child Internationally
- "How to Adopt Internationally"; Jean Nelson-Erichsen and Heino R. Erichsen; 2003
