The Adoption Guide: Getting Started in China Adoption

China Adoption
AF Photo Gallery	China Fast Facts: 2007 adoptions: 5,453 children Age/Gender: 91% Female, 44% under 1 year of age in 2006. Estimated Total Cost: $20,000 to $25,000 (see sample China adoption budget) Profile: 91% girls; 44% under the age of 1 at the time of adoption (2006); all children eligible for adoption must be legally resident in one of China’s child welfare institutes. Some use of foster care. Parents' Ages: Married couples must be age 30 to 49 (both spouses); couples 50 to 54 may be considered for special-needs children. Prospective adopters must be open to a toddler if over 45. The CCAA has also implemented restrictions on the health of applicants. Family Requirements: Married couples only. Married a minimum of 2 years if a first marriage; 5 years if second or third marriage. No more than 2 previous marriages allowed for either spouse. No more than 4 children living in home. Both spouses must have H.S. diploma. Please check with your adoption agency for details. Travel: At least one parent must travel to China to adopt. Average stay is 10-14 days. U.S. visa issued at consulate in Guangzhou. Timeline: From completed dossier to referral, approximately 30 to 36 months, although agencies report lengthening wait times due to backlog of dossiers. Travel is normally three months after referral. Route: Adopt through a US Hague-compliant adoption agency approved by the CCAA. No independent adoption. China Adoption Directory Find an adoption agency placing children from China in your state:
Adoption of children from China to the United States began in 1992, when the Chinese government passed a law ratifying international adoption. In 2007, Americans adopted 5,453 children from China, the largest number from any country outside the U.S. Because China is already Hague-compliant, the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), in Beijing, will begin processing Hague adoptions as soon as the treaty goes into effect in the U.S., on April 1, 2008. There is no independent adoption from China; American adopters work through U.S. agencies approved by the CCAA. The average age of children adopted from China is 11 months. Over 90% are girls, because of China’s population control policies. One child adopted from China was found with a note that read: “In our countryside, the thought that man is more important than woman is very popular. I don’t have the strength to overthrow it.” The CCAA placed restrictions on marital status, health, education, income, and previous legal history. Families who have adopted children from China have strong support networks throughout the United States.
Personal Stories About Chinese Adoption Helpless Love A single woman opens her heart to her Chinese daughter Until the Real Thing Comes Along Tired of waiting for the “perfect package,” the author finds her future in the tiny hands of her new daughter The China Doll A three-year-old Chinese daughter attracts hordes of admirers. Sometime in the Night A single man becomes a father
Helpful books for China adopters Lost Daughters of China Abandoned Girls, Their Journey to America and the Search for a Missing Past Wanting a Daughter, Needing a Son by Kay Ann Johnson A Passage to the Heart: Writings from Families with Children from China by Amy Klatzkin The Waiting Child by Cindy Champnella
Best websites for China adopters Adoptive Families' News Ticker Families with Children from China China Center of Adoption Affairs US State Department: International Adoption: China China Adoption Statistics: Up-to-date information on waiting times Raising China Children E-mail listserv Post-Adopt-China E-mail listserv