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Adopting From Overseas

The demand for overseas adoption has been given a boost by newspaper and magazine coverage of adoptions by celebrities such as Madonna and Angelina Jolie but the practice of overseas adoption has been going on for many years and such applications are increasing. The greatest number of applications come from countries such as the USA, France, Italy, Canada and Spain.

Many people find that adoptions in their home country is often delayed by bureaucracy or heavy caseloads of local authorities or adoption agency. As such more and more people are turning to overseas adoption. But how easy is it to adopt from another country?

Some of the popular destinations for overseas adoptions are:

India – it can take on average three to four years to adopt in India depending on where you come from. People who come from countries which have straightforward adoption processes such as Norway, Denmark, Italy, France and America find it easier to adopt in India. Couples must meet the eligibility criteria, that is, they must be financially secure and have been together for more than five years. They must also be between 30 and 55 years of age with a combined age of less than 90. Single people and same sex couples are currently not allowed to adopt in India. India’s “cradlescheme” allows babies to be left anonymously outside the gates of orphanages and there is therefore a large supply of babies for adoption, usually females.

Phillipines – the process for adoption is quicker here and can take anywhere from 3 months to 1 year. The Phillipines Intercountry Adoption Board also has a branch in Switzerland which means the process can be a lot smoother.Single people can apply but their application will be given lower priority unless they are being matched with a special needs child. As at 4^th June 2007 the Phillipines have temporarily suspended acceptance of new applications for single applicants. The criteria is currently that couples must be at least 27 years of age by the time they make their application and must have been married for at least 3 years and there must be a minimum age gap between the couple and the child of no less than 16 years and/or no more than 47 years. Where the primary carer is aged 43 and over they will only be considered for children over 2 years of age. Applications which state that only female children are wanted will be rejected as there are very few female children available for overseas adoption.

China – this is one of the most popular countries for overseas adoption. Applications are prioritised where the couple have been married for at least 2 years, where the couple are both at least 30 years old and under 50 (55 in the case of adoption of special needs children). Couples who have been married before must not have had more than two previous marriages.

Vietnam – it is much harder to adopt from this country. In 2003 Vietnam suspended overseas applications except with countries with which it has a bi-lateral agreement to adopt. There is for example currently no agreement between Vietnam and the UK. There is however agreement between Vietnam and the US and Canada. Vietnam only started to accept applications from the US again in 2005. The criteria for adoption is not as strict as some other countries. Married couples and single women can adopt. Applicants must be  aged at least 23 to adopt and there must be at least 20 years older than the child. Couples must have been married at least 1 year. If previously divorced there must have been no more than 2 divorces per parent. Applicants under 50 can adopt babies but applicants aged 50 – 55 can only adopt as young as 1-3 year old children. If aged 55-60 can only adopt children as young as 3 – 5 years of age. Applicants over 60 can only adopt children over 5 years of age. All applicants must show an interest in learning the child’s culture and be prepared to teach the child its culture.