Domestic Adoption

All child adoptions can be classified as either Domestic or International adoption. This section of the website deals briefly with domestic adoptions.

A domestic adoption involves adopting a child within the country where you reside.  For a U.S. citizen this means adopting a U.S. born child or a U.S. citizen born in another country, for example a child born overseas to a U.S. military person or to a U.S. expatriate.

A private child adoption or an agency child adoption are two of the types of domestic adoption.  A private child adoption is arranged through an attorney, physician, or other private individual while an agency adoption is arranged through a licensed child adoption agency.

Another way to classify domestic child adoption is to say they are either a closed adoption or an open open.  In a closed adoption, the last names and other identifying information of the birth mother and birth father and that of the adopting family are not known to each other.  While first names and some personal information may be shared, specific identifying information such as last names are not exchanged. In an open adoption, the birth mother parents and adopting parents share all identifying information.

A final way to look at domestic adoption is to see the adoption as an intrastate adoption where the birth mother and adopting family live in the same state or as an interstate adoption where the birth mother and adopting family live in different states.  An interstate adoption must meet the legal and procedural requirements of at least two states as well as the Interstate Compact Act.

The chart below provides links to adoption information for every state. Additional adoption resources for each state are the state's Child Welfare Website, the Child Welfare Information Gateway State Adoption Information Website and AdoptionServices.org.

The differences in the types of domestic child adoption listed above are more than just academic because each type of adoption must meet a different set of legal requirements which change from state to state. Once you have looked through the content on the website, if you want a more personal touch, please feel free to contact Dr. Vince Berger or visit AdoptionServices.org