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The Hague Adoption Convention

Countries who have signed the Hague Adoption Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter- Country Adoption (The Hague Adoption Convention) have set international standards and practices that must be followed for overseas adoption (also known as ‘inter-country adoption’).

The UK, Canada, US, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, South Africa are just some examples of countries who have signed the Hague Adoption Convention.

If you are a resident of a country who has signed the Convention the you will need to undergo a "home study" by an adoption agency in your country to confirm that you meet the criteria for adoption set by the country from where you will be adopting a child.

Your government must issue a certificate of eligibility to the country from which you will be adopting.

Before they do this however, the adoption agency must carry out a ‘home study’ and write a report confirming that your home environment is suitable for an adopted child.

In some countries the government charge a fee for this.

In the UK the fee is currently £1,775 (as of April 2011) for most applications although there are some exclusions.

You will also need to meet the immigration requirements of your country when bringing the child back into your country and this will require special entry clearance.