China Adoptions: Overview
Chinese authorities and US immigration carefully consider all Chinese child adoption cases, assessing and interviewing all candidates and children. Chinese adoption laws are stringent and express very clear policies on parents” eligibility to adopt and the child’s suitability for adoption. The adopted child will not be given permission to leave China unless the adoption process has been completed in-country, and a US immigrant visa must be granted to the child before s/he will be allowed to enter the US.
Chinese children available for adoption
For a child to be eligible for adoption, s/he must be 13 or younger and have been previously approved by the Chinese Centre of Adoption Affairs (CCAA). The child will usually be living in a Child Welfare Institute, similar to an orphanage.
Who can adopt in China
Those eligible to adopt can be either married or single, but they must be heterosexual. If married, partners are obliged to jointly adopt the child. Both parents need not visit China to process the documents, but the partner who travels must take with them a power of attorney from the other. The power of attorney document should be notarized and authenticated in the US by the Chinese Embassy or one of the Chinese Consulates General.
Chinese adoption process overview
The first step is to contact a CCAA-licensed US adoption agency, which will pass on your completed application to the CCAA in China. Successful applicants will then be offered an interview in China.
Contacting the US Consular officials in Guangzhou before an adoption agreement is finalized will make it more likely that the child will be granted an US immigrant visa upon your return. You should contact the Public Security Bureau local to the area in which the child has been living in order to apply for a Chinese passport and exit permit.
The final adoption certificate is issued by the provincial notarial offices.
How long do Chinese adoptions take
The time taken to assess applications varies wildly, but it is invariably a lengthy process. Each case is considered on its own merit, and circumstances such as the child having health problems will almost certainly slow the process down.
Currently, applicants can expect to wait 10-12 months after the US adoption agency submits an application to the CCAA to be awarded an initial referral. If they accept the child, applicants will usually be required to wait a further 4-6 weeks for approval from the CCAA to travel to China and process the documents.
Once arrived in China, finalizing the adoption should take no more than 15 days, but the Chinese passport and exit permit and US immigrant visa applications will probably then take 7-10 more days. However, this is not always the case and the whole process has been known to take just 2 weeks.
Similar entries
- Costs of adopting in China, Chinese adoption fees
- The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA)
- Chinese adoption laws and procedures
- Documents required for Chinese adoptions
- Chinese adoptions: Other considerations for your trip to China
- Adopting in China: Applying for child’s immigrant visa
- Chinese adoption statistics
- China adoptions: U.S. immigration requirements
- Change in Chinese Adoption Rules as of May 1, 2007
- Introduction to International Adoption
- Guatemala, the Hague Convention and the United States
- Adopting From Guatemala: U.S. Immigration Overview
- Guatemala Adoption: DHS/ICE Review Prior to Submission of Petition
- Adopting From Guatemala: DHS/ICE Review of Birth Mother Information and DNA Testing
- Child Adoption from China: Additional information