International adoption is a rewarding journey that builds families by bridging cultures. It also provides a pathway to a stable life for children who’ve been unable to secure suitable homes in their birth country.

That said, international adoption is a complex process that involves many steps and legal requirements. To help get you started on your international adoption journey, we will provide an overview of international adoption—what it is, whether it’s right for you, and what the process entails. We’ll provide a step-by-step breakdown of what to expect along the way, including helpful documents and resources that you can use as a go-to guide during the adoption process. The more information you have about international adoption, the easier it will be to make the best decisions for your family and prospective child.

What Is International Adoption?

International adoption is a legal process by which a person becomes the parent of a child from a different country. The process is typically more complex than domestic adoption in part because it involves compliance with three sets of laws—those of the U.S. federal government, the state you live in, and the child’s country of origin. Adoption requirements vary between states and countries, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with legal requirements of your home state and adoption country as you begin the adoption process. 

The Role of the Hague Convention

The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention) is an international agreement designed to protect children in international adoptions, especially by safeguarding against the sale and trafficking of children. The Convention sets international standards for ensuring each adoption is conducted in an ethical and legal manner. This helps guarantee that each adoption is carried out in the child’s best interest.

The Convention took effect in the U.S. in 2008, and over 100 countries adhere to the Hague Convention today. Adoptions from Convention countries are more common than adoptions from non-Convention countries, and they are the preferred path to adoption if you prioritize strong guarantees of ethical and legally-protected adoption practices.

Is International Adoption Right for You?

If you’re wondering whether international adoption is right for you, it helps to start by reflecting on your readiness to adopt and your reasons for adopting abroad. To help you decide if you are ready to raise a child from another culture, we’ll examine the rewards as well as the challenges unique to international adoption.

Embracing a New Culture

By adopting a child from another country, you are fostering a multicultural household and embracing a lifelong commitment to honoring a child’s birth culture, heritage, and language. Depending on your child’s birth country, your family may choose to travel to the country to nurture a connection with your child’s culture.

Understanding Potential Challenges

Your adoptive child’s medical records may be incomplete or inaccurate, so you should be emotionally and financially prepared to support your child’s medical or psychological needs. In addition, children who have been placed for adoption in other countries have often spent time in institutions or orphanages. If so, it is possible they may have experienced trauma, since the quality and duration of institutional care can have profound effects on a child’s development and behavior. It’s important that you feel ready to support your child in their healing journey.

Navigating a Complex Process

All adoptions are complex and subject to delays, but international adoptions are even more so due to additional regulations and requirements. An international adoption may take anywhere from one to five years to finalize, depending on the child, the country you are adopting from, and many other potential factors. Since you are working within the legal framework of two countries as well as your home state, the process may require patience and resilience.

International adoptions also require a great deal of paperwork. In addition to completing a home study and submitting immigration forms, you’ll need to create a dossier with personal information like your finances, health information, how many other children live in your home, etc. 

The Financial Commitment

An international adoption is a significant investment. Fees vary among adoption cases and countries, but costs can range between $20,000 and $50,000 on average. If you are adopting from a Convention country, your adoption service provider (see below) is required to disclose all expected expenses. 

Typical costs include fees from the agency managing the adoption, travel to the country of origin, attorney fees, and fees for processing various legal forms. Some families can offset the costs with employer-provided adoption benefits or, depending on income, an adoption tax credit.

The International Adoption Process

Adopting a child from another country is a complex process, but we’ll break it down step by step to give you an idea of what to expect.

Step 1: Choose a Hague-Accredited Adoption Service Provider (ASP)

The first step is to select an adoption service provider (ASP) that has been approved or accredited by the Center for Excellence in Adoption Services (CEAS). Make sure that the country where you plan to adopt a child has authorized this ASP to operate in that country. Your ASP will guide you through the entire adoption process, from being matched with a child to bringing the child home. The ASP may enlist attorneys, organizations, and other agents to help facilitate the adoption.

Step 2: Complete Your Adoption Home Study

All prospective parents for international adoptions must complete a home study to demonstrate they are ready and able to raise a child from another country. A home study is a process that looks at your family and your home environment to determine if your home is well-suited to raising a child. 

Home study requirements vary between states, but they typically evaluate your health, finances, and other personal information, and may involve background checks, fingerprint clearance, and personal references. Home studies can feel overwhelming, but they are really a collaborative process between you and your social worker.

Step 3: Apply for USCIS Approval

Before you can proceed with an international adoption, you must file an eligibility application with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), including form I-800A (for adoptions from a Convention country) or I-600A (for adoptions from a non-Convention country). The application will include your completed home study, supporting documents, and an application fee.

Step 4: Assemble and Submit Your Dossier

Once you have received eligibility from the USCIS, your ASP will help you assemble and submit your dossier to the adoption authority of the country you are seeking to adopt from. This dossier will include your I-800A or I-600A approval notice, completed home study, and any other necessary documents. The country will then conduct its own eligibility process to determine if you are a suitable adoptive parent and if you satisfy the country’s adoption laws.

Step 5: Receive and Accept a Referral

Once a country has determined you are eligible to adopt, it will send you an official report on the child you wish to adopt. This report will include information such as the child’s medical and psychological history, as well as the reasons the child was placed into adoption. You will have at least two weeks to review the report and decide whether you are able and ready to meet the child’s needs, at which point you may accept or deny the referral.

Step 6: Travel and Finalize the Adoption Abroad

The process for finalizing an adoption varies from country to country, but your ASP will walk you through all the necessary steps. Many nations require that prospective parents travel to the country to finalize the adoption. This allows you to complete the adoption in person, and it’s also an opportunity to spend time with your child and experience their birth country firsthand.

Step 7: Obtain Your Child’s Visa and Come Home

You must obtain your child’s visa so that they can enter the U.S. You will need the child’s birth certificate and a passport from their birth country in order to secure a visa. You may apply for the visa by visiting the U.S. embassy or consulate in the country of your child’s residence. Your child will automatically receive U.S. citizenship if they enter the U.S. on an IR-3 or IH-3 visa. If your child entered the U.S. on a different visa, you must take further steps to apply for your child’s citizenship. 

Explore Adoption by Country

Each country has its own set of legal requirements to approve international adoptions. Whether you already know the country you’d like to adopt from or you are still deciding, you may find it helpful to explore the different adoption requirements of each country.