How to Adopt a Child Internationally

There are plenty of children around the world who are waiting for a permanent, loving home. Fortunately, hopeful adoptive parents can provide these children with the loving family they have always deserved.

Learn all that you need to know about overseas adoption below.

How to Adopt a Child Internationally [5 Steps]

When you are wondering how to adopt internationally, you may not know where to start. It can be as exciting as it is overwhelming.

To help you gain a better understanding of how this process works, we have outlined the five main steps of how to adopt overseas below.

1. Choose a Country to Adopt From

Your first step when you want to adopt internationally is to select a country to adopt from. As you narrow down your decision, here are a few factors to keep in mind:

• The country’s eligibility requirements for adoption
• Travel costs
• The country’s culture and traditions

Remember that, just as every country is different, each one will have its unique customs and regulations for adoption.

2. Choose a Program for Placement

Once you have chosen the country that you want to adopt from, it’s time to choose a program and an adoption agency.

No matter what, make sure that the agency you choose to work with for your international adoption is certified by the Hague Convention. This ensures that your process will be fair, legal and ethical.

3. Complete the Home Study

If you are wondering how to adopt outside of the country you live in, then you may have heard about the home study. Many hopeful adoptive families have a lot of fears about completing the home study, but we’re here to tell you that we can guide you through the entire experience.

The home study includes:

• Interviews with a social worker for all adults living in the home
• Background checks for all adults living in the home
• Paperwork regarding finances, health and employment
• Documentation such as birth and marriage certificates
• And more

We are always here to help you complete your home study. Be sure to get in touch with us whenever you’re ready to get started.

4. Wait for a Child Referral

When you’ve met the country’s adoption requirements and been approved by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the matching process can begin.

Every agency has a unique matching process for overseas adoption, but here is what you can expect to know when you get a child referral:

• The child’s name, birthday and photograph
• Medical information about the child
• Psychological and social information about the child
• Why the child has been matched with you
• And much more

If this feels like the right fit, then you can move forward and accept the referral for your international adoption process. You’ll then complete some more paperwork and apply for your child’s visa.

5. Travel to Adopt Your Child [and Finalize the Adoption]

Before you travel to your child’s country, we will arrange the details for you. If you wish, then you may be able to send a representative on your behalf to escort your child to the United States. Depending on where you adopt from, one of our staff members can be that representative.

You will be in that country for roughly one to four weeks, and you may be able to finalize the adoption there, too. But, you might have to wait until you return home to do so. This is when you’ll visit a local court, and a judge will issue a decree that makes it all official!