China has standardized, International Adoption Laws, yet the implementation is in a constant state of change. We do our best to keep clients informed of changes.
Criteria for Adoptive Parents
- Couples must be between thirty to forty-five years of age to adopt a child around the age of one year.
- Couples between forty-five and forty-nine years of age are eligible to adopt a child around two years of age.
- Couples must be married for at least two years, if this is the first marriage for both individuals. If this is the second or third marriage for either individual (no more than 2 previous marriages, per individual), the couple must be married for at least 5 years.
- Couples must be in good physical and mental health and their Body Mass Index (BMI) must be under 40 for each individual.
- Couples must have a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent.
- Couples must have an income of at least $10,000 per person in the home, including the future adopted child. Family net assets must be at least $80,000.
- Couples can have no more than 4 children, under the age of 18 years, living in the home when their dossier is registered by the CCCWA. The youngest child must also be at least 12 months old.
- Couples must have no criminal record or history of domestic violence, sexual abuse, child abuse or substance abuse.
The China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA) expedites the matching process for prospective adoptive parents who meet the general criteria listed AND satisfy one or more of the following requirement(s):
- Parents adopting a child with special or medical needs through the Waiting Child Program.
- At least one of the prospective adoptive parents was born in China or Taiwan.
- Both parents of one prospective adoptive parent were born in China or Taiwan.
- Both parents of both prospective adoptive parents were born in China or Taiwan.
For expedited cases, the prospective adoptive parents are required to submit a legal document to the CCCWA to prove of their Chinese ancestry.
Process
It takes approximately five to six months to complete a Home study, obtain CIS (immigration) approval, and prepare a dossier. Referral is approximately sixty months from submission of completed dossier. Most of the children are girls and healthy. The children ranges from age eight months to twenty four months old at the time of referral. Travel takes place approximately three to three and a half months after referral, depending on the process of immigration, US Consulate in Guangzhou China, and the Central Authority in China, the China Center for Children’s Welfare and Adoption (CCCWA). Families are required to travel once only. If only one parent can travel, the traveling parents must prepare a Power of Attorney for the other parent. In-country representatives will help the families throughout their two week stay in China.
China Program Fees
The placement and country fees to adopt from China is roughly $28,000-$32,000. Fees may vary from travel, transportation and number of Post Adoption visits required by the CCCWA and Adopt International.
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Does not include document certification fees. If the family has requested a change or made an error in their documentation after it has been certified and/or authenticated, there will be an additional fee.
Travel expenses including hotel, food and all transportation are not included and will be paid directly by adoptive family.
Does not include Home Study or post placement fees. These will be determined by your Home Study agency.
Immigration fees are not included. The application currently costs $720 plus $85/person for fingerprint clearance. Every other renewal is free.
Visa application fee and medical test in-country are not included.
All expenses in China are subject to change. These fees are beyond the control of Adopt International.