1. Only Rich People Can Afford to Adopt Internationally

While it is true that international adoption is more pricey than domestic adoption, there are a number of ways that families with modest incomes can offset the costs, such as the Adoption Tax Credit (which was $13,570  per child as of 2017,) employer reimbursement (offered by many companies,) and adoption grants that you can apply for. You may also want to take into account that living expenses, such as food and lodging, in foreign countries is often much lower than it is here. 

2. You Will Need To Live Abroad for Awhile

While most countries do require you to travel for a short time to complete an adoption, some, such as Korea, allow an escort to bring the child to the US in some cases. Others, such as India and Hati, request parents to reside in-country for about a week at a time. You do not have to think about the trip as taking up residence elsewhere as much as a short journey where your sight-seeing is your child and the landscape and dining allow you to soak in your child’s heritage. 

3. Foreign Countries Will Lie About Children’s Health Conditions

Since the Hague Convention of 1993, countries are more diligent about presenting all of the information they have about children’s backgrounds and physical and emotional issues that they are aware of. Many of these are the results of malnutrition and a lack of attention, and adoptive parents see remarkable improvements over the first few months and even weeks after taking home their child. Several American hospitals, such as John Hopkins and the Medical College of Wisconsin, can have a medical professional review the information provided at referral and make parents aware of any potential red flags or preventive measures they can take before accepting a child.

4. Single Parents Cannot Adopt

If you are a single parent, domestic adoption can often be difficult, but many international countries welcome single applicants, as they can offer children opportunities they would not have otherwise been afforded. Countries like Haiti, Bulgaria, and India encourage both single men and women to adopt, although there are some age restrictions. Single women can adopt in China and Poland.

5. The International Adoption Process is Long And Drawn-Out

The process of international adoption can take anywhere from nine months to three years, which is as long as many domestic adoptions take to complete. As with any adoption, parents need to fulfill a home study and fill out paperwork that will be reviewed, and authorities will match them with a child as they see fit. Some couples find that they begin receiving referrals as soon as their agency sends their dossier to their country’s government. Often, couples take a short trip to meet the child, return home for a few weeks, and return to finalize the adoption and take their child home.

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Malawi

Adopting from Malawi is affordable for an international adoption (between $28,000 and $32,000) and the in-country travel time is less than four weeks. Children between eighteen months and fifteen years old can be adopted. Most orphans have been abandoned due to poverty and social problems. Families from the U.S. can provide these children with an optimistic future that they would not have had otherwise. Pop singer Madonna adopted two five-year-old twin girls from Malawi in 2017. 

South Korea

Children available for adoption in South Korea are between 1 and 6 years old at placement, with some minor, treatable special needs. Two trips to the country are required, but these are each only five to seven days in length. Since South Korea is a modern country, there are lots of American restaurants and comforts available, although you may want to sample some local cuisine of your child’s birth nation. Eligible Americans are between 25 and 40 years of age, with no more than one divorce in each prospective parent’s past. 

Haiti

Married couples can adopt from Haiti if they are over 30 and have been married for over five years, singles can adopt if they are between 35 and 49 years old. Adoptable children are between 6 months and 16 years old, siblings groups are also available. Unrelated children may also be adopted at the same time in Haiti on a case-by-case basis. The first trip a prospective parent takes to Haiti is for familiarization, and is fifteen days long. The second trip, to adopt the child, is about a week in length. 

Ukraine

The costs for adoption in Ukraine are reasonable, from $30,000 to $36,000 a year. Children available for adoption are usually over 5 years old and in sibling groups typically of three or more. There are also children 14 months old and older with special needs who are ready to be adopted. To be eligible to adopt in Ukraine, you need to be married and between 15 and 45 years older than the child you are adopting. Parents completing adoptions travel twice: the first time between four and six weeks to bond with their child, and the second time for a week to ten days to pick up their child.

Burundi

While the size of this African country is miniature compared to others, Burundi has one of the highest birthrates in the world. Prospective parents can adopt healthy boys and girls at ages 18 months old and older, although all potential adoptive parents must be open to adopting children over 5 years old. Sibling groups of over two or more children are available, and adoptions of one or more unrelated children at the same time is permitted. In order to adopt from Burundi, you must be at least 30 years old and married for at least five years.

China

The costs of adopting from China are reasonable for an international adoption; it is around $35,000 including travel and in-country expenses. Children ages 1 to 13 are ready to be adopted. While all are said to have some type of developmental need, more than half of these are minor and correctable (such as a cleft palate or orthopedic issues). Married American couples between 30 and 49 years old may adopt, and single women over 30 are also eligible.

India

If you wish to adopt from India, you need to be married for at least two years and the parent of less than two children unless you are interested in adopting a child with special needs. Children over the age of 2, and more females than males, are available. India requires only one trip that is seven to ten days in length. Costs are usually between $28,000 and $35,000.

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