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Intrastate, Interstate or International Adoption?

Each state has a special website and special contacts to help a person or couple who is interested in child adoption. The chart below provides links to adoption information for every state. An additional adoption resource for each state is the State Child Welfare website.

International child adoption is a very different process than is a Domestic adoption. In the United States, Australia, and Western Europe, there has been a decrease in the number of children available for adoption and an increase in male and female infertility factors. The result has been an increase in the difficulties faced by adopting persons including the long waiting lists of many domestic agencies and the escalating costs of domestic adoptions.

Accordingly, more and more citizens of one country are adopting children from other countries. Within the last few years, thousands of children have been adopted from foreign countries by U.S. citizens and citizen of other countries. This part of the site provides some very general information and guidance to adopting persons seeking information about international adoptions.

An international adoption can allow you to experience all of the joys and emotions of being a parent but, as with domestic adoptions, the adoption process is fraught with potential problems and concerns like complicated paperwork, certified and apostilled documents, travel issues, health concerns, and foreign country laws.

Three issues are briefly mentioned below. These and many other concerns are addressed in detail on the international adoption help website.

First, be aware that available children from foreign countries such as former Soviet Union countries, South America, Africa, India, and China may be suffering from some malnutrition and/or developmental delays. However, in general, the children adopted internationally are healthy.

The second issue is to remind you that you will need to travel. In some countries, you can adopt a child without ever having seen the child and without traveling to the foreign country. This can be a very risky process and it is strongly recommend that you always see the child in person before you finally adopt him/her. In adopting a child through one of the most common international programs, i.e. Russia, Guatemala, and China, you will travel to the country at least once, and sometimes twice, to first see and then adopt the child. The actual adoption usually takes place with you present and is conducted in the country itself. In some cases the child will have to be adopted again in the country within which the adopting persons reside.

Finally, it is recommended that you not have the required home study done before you have finalized the selection of your child placing agency. Most foreign organizations, and many U.S. agencies, require that you have the home study completed by the placing agency. By selecting your agency and program first, and then having your home study completed, you will prevent unnecessary delays and expenses.