Frequently Asked Chinese Adoption Questions

Background Information:

Adopting children from China began in 1992 when the Chinese government passed a law ratifying international adoption. Because of China’s “One Child Policy” implemented for population control, thousands of children are abandoned each year. Most of the children abandoned are little girls. Because boys are desired to carry on the family name and to help and care for their parents, little girls are often abandoned with the thought that they will try again for a boy. There are also other circumstances contributing to abandonment such as a young single mom unable to care for a child or children born with physical or medical conditions that the parents are unable to care for.

The Chinese adoption process is efficient and for the most part corruption free. The Chinese international adoption system is one of the most well supported and streamlined processes of all international adoption programs. The process in China varies from about 6-10 months. The real variable in time is here-depending on your agency and how quickly you complete your required paperwork.

The cost is roughly around $20,000 including travel and accommodations when it is all said and done. Of course this varies depending on individual budgets.

Chinese requirements are that both parents must be at least 30 years old and one parent must not be older than 55 at the time of adoption. Parents over 45 are often referred toddlers and those over 50 referred school age, although this is certainly not always the case. Married individuals as well as singles may apply. Single applications are limited. A family may not have more than four children at home when adopting.

1) What children are available for adoption in China?

With the implementation of the one-child-policy and a traditional preference for male children, China’s orphanages have thousands of healthy children available for adoption. These children are mostly girls, born to healthy mothers and are usually left in a public place soon after birth with the hopes that they will be found quickly and taken care of. There is little occurrence of fetal alcohol syndrome, drug exposure or sexually transmitted disease. The children have a low incident of attachment disorder due to the personal care they receive in orphanages and foster homes. Most of the children are between the ages of 7 months and 14 months at the time of referral. There are also older children and special needs children as well as twins available for adoption.

2) What are the guidelines to adopt from China?

All parents must be age 30 or older at the time their dossier is submitted to china.
If married, one parent must be age 55 or younger when the dossier is submitted.
If single, the parent must be age 50 or younger when the dossier is submitted.
Three things influence the age of the child that you are referred:
1) The age of the parents at the time of referral;
2) The age of the child requested by the adopting parents; and
3) The ages of the children available for placement at the time of your referral.
Family income must be at least $10,000 per year for each person living in the home, including the child you are adopting.
There must be no more than four minor children already living in the home.
China does not allow adoption by homosexuals.
No more than 8% of an agency’s applicants may be single.
At least one parent must travel and stay approximately 14 days in China to complete the adoption in China.
An unmarried male must be 40 years older than an adopted female child.
You may not have any criminal history.
You must not have major health issues-health history is reviewed on a case by case basis.
You may not submit a dossier within one year of previous China adoption. Some special needs situations may waive this rule.

3) What is the Chinese adoption process?

FIRST – HOMESTUDY
A licensed, agency approved social worker will visit with you in your home. A report will be prepared per the guidelines laid out by the China Center For Adoption Affairs, USCIS (formerly INS) and your agency.
SECOND – DOSSIER
The dossier is the application that your agency will present to the China Center For Adoption Affairs (CCAA). In it will be all of the required personal information as well as your special request regarding the age, sex and any other requests that you may have regarding the child you wish to be referred. Some agencies offer services that will do most of the dossier preparation for you.
THIRD – REFERRAL
Once your dossier has been received by the CCAA, you begin the wait for referral. The wait has traditionally ranged from 6-12 months, but more recently has been about 5-7 months. When the referrals reach your agency, you will receive a picture and details about your referral. Once you have reviewed and accepted your referral, an appointment will be made with the American Consulate in Guangzhou China for your child’s exit visa and travel will be arranged around this.
FOURTH – TRAVEL
Travel is based on when your consulate appointment can be scheduled. Generally you can expect to depart 4-7 weeks after your referral. At least one parent must travel. If married and only one parent travels, your state may require readoption in a local court before US citizenship will be granted.

4) What documents are required in the dossier?

A homestudy by an approved social work (notorized & authenticate)
I-171H – Preapproval from USCIS (formerly INS) granting permission to immigrate the child
Birth certificates (authenticated)
Marriage certificate (if applicable) (authenticated)
Financial statement (notarized and authenticate)
Letter from your employer verifying your employment with salary stated (or CPA’s letter of self-employment) or letter stating non-employment (notarized and authenticated)
Medical report from doctor stating the applicants health (China is looking for specifics on this so contact your agency before you have this done) (notarized and authenticated)
Police clearance letter (notarized and authenticated)
Copy of adoptive parent(s) passport
Family life photos
Other documents required by your homestudy provider – including three letters of reference, divorce decree (if applicable-must be authenticated)

5) What can we expect our travel plans to look like?

Every adoption trip is unique and may vary, depending whether you are traveling with a group or by yourselves, but this is a typical schedule of your time in China:

Sunday: Arrive in provincial capital and receive your child
Monday: Process adoption paperwork for Chinese
Government
Tuesday thru Thursday: Get to know your child and visit
the local area where your child is from.
Friday: Receive completed adoption paperwork including
birth certificate, abandonment certificate,
adoption certificate and passport
Sunday: Travel to Guangzhou, Guangdong
Monday: Medical exams and visa photos as required by
US Consulate
Tuesday: Appointment at US Consulate to apply for visa
Wednesday: Visa is ready – Depart from China that evening