Adopting Children from China

This is a brief overview of the adoption process for children from China. In order for a U.S. based agency to help an adopting family adopt a child from China, at least one of the adoptive parents must be a U.S. Citizen.

Adopting Children from China

China continues to be one of the most popular countries for families seeking international adoption.

Unlike other foreign countries that have shut down or suspend their child adoption program from time to time, China's adoption program has been, and continues to be, very stable which helps explain why China is one of the top choices for families considering an international child adoption.  However, China has, and continues to, update its requirements for an adopting family; accordingly, the information below may not be the most current.

The China Center of Adoption Affairs is the central authority overseeing all China adoptions.  The China Center for Adoption Affairs sets eligibility requirements for all foreign adoptive parents and does not permit modifications or exceptions to their requirements. 

* China adoption requirements

Both the husband and wife must be at least 30 years old and under age 50. If adopting a special needs child both the husband and the wife must be between the ages of 30 and 55.  The Chinese government no longer allows single parents to adopt a Chinese child.

Additional  requirements are that the adoptive parents must be married for at least two years but this period is increased to at least 5 years if either the husband or wife has been divorced.  The adopting family must have fewer than five children in the family under the age of 18 years, and the youngest one should be at least one year old.

Neither prospective adoptive parents may have a criminal history and must be of good moral character. Neither should have any history of domestic violence, sex abuse, abandonment or abuse of children, drug or alcohol abuse, or use of any medication for mental illness that can cause addiction.

* Length of waiting period for the adoption process

 The average time will be 36-48 months.

* Process for adopting a Chinese child?  First you contact and register with an international child adoption agency.  Then you begin the Home Study and complete all the paperwork. The paperwork (called the dossier) is then sent to China and you wait for a referral.  Once a referral is made and accepted, you will travel to China to complete their adoption. After you return to the United States, your U.S. agency will provide post placement support to assist you with your adoption transition.

 * Who are the adoptable children

Most of the orphans are females and they range in age from 3-6 months through approximately 13 years of age.  In comparison to other underdeveloped countries, the overall health of Chinese orphans is exceptional. 

* Adopting more than one child

 Adopting more than one child from China is only possible by returning to China and repeating the adoption process.

* Travel involved

 Only one trip to China is necessary to complete an adoption.  The trip is usually about 2 weeks in duration.

Help for Adopting Families by State