China Adoption Program

The Chinese adoption authority (the China Center of Adoption Affairs) has for many years maintained a very stable program with a fairly seamless process, in spite of slowdowns over the past couple years. The fees for adopting from China are very reasonable - among the lowest costs for any international adoption program. Only one parent need travel to China, and the trip lasts for about 10 days.

The adoption process is completed through a partnership program with West Sands adoptions, an agency directly accredited by the China Center of Adoption Affairs. Our China clients are dual clients of West Sands and Carolina Hope, but all client-agency contact is with Carolina Hope. The dossier is submitted under West Sands’ letterhead by Adam Wang, a translator, facilitator, and travel arranger. (In Hague terms, Carolina Hope is the “Supervised Service Provider,” and West Sands is the “Primary Service Provider.”)

West Sands is currently in the process of completing the final step for Hague Accreditation. Although families cannot submit their I-800A to Immigration until the Hague accreditation is granted, in the time that it would take you to apply to Carolina Hope and begin the home study process, West Sands should have their Hague accreditation. Therefore, no time should be lost in the process. Please contact us for more information about starting the process now.

If you would like print materials about any of Carolina Hope’s adoption programs, you can send us a request using our online form.

Who can adopt from China?

China has historically had fairly strict guidelines for prospective adoptive parents. At the end of 2006, these restrictions were tightened further, in part to reduce the high volume of applications being received by the CCAA.

The following guidelines are essentially those presented by the CCAA to agencies. Any difference in what you read from agency to agency probably represents each agency’s attempts to set its own guidelines according to their understanding of what China expects. Don’t hesitate to call or email to inquire about these policies. (These policies are for families requesting a healthy child.)

• Married couples only
• Both husband and wife between ages of 30 and 50 at time dossier goes to China
• Physically and mentally healthy; interpreted by the CCAA as…
  • Neither applicant is taking psychotropic drugs (including mild anti-anxiety medications)
  • Neither applicant has a Body Mass Index of 40 or above (click here to calculate your BMI)
  • Neither applicant has a history of cancer
• Net assets over $80,000
• Minimum salary of $10,000 per family member, including child to be adopted (minimum of $40,000 in cases of childless couple)
• At least a high school diploma for both applicants
• Married to each other at least 2 years (if either husband or wife is previously divorced, the current marriage must be at least 5 years old)
• No more than 4 children in home before adoption (for a total of 5 children after adoption)
• Youngest child in home must be over age 1
• No criminal record

In general, if one of the adoptive parents is between 30 and 41, the couple will receive preference from the CCAA for receiving the youngest of the children available for adoption. Parents between 41 and 50 are assigned an older child from among those available. Nearly all children assigned are under 2 years old when the adoption takes place.

We encourage singles to consider an adoption program with no marriage restrictions.

What children are available for adoption from China?

Primarily girls over the age of 6 months old are available; at the time of adoption, the girls are usually between 9 and 24 months old. Boys are also occasionally available for overseas adoption, but the boys are generally a little older than the girls when placed. Twins are very rarely available for adoption.

The average age of children at referral is usually between 10 months and (more recently) 18 months. (See Ralph Stirling’s China Adoption Referral and Age Graphs for up-to-date averages.) The China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA) permits you to request children older than 2.

Are the children healthy?

The children available for international adoption from China are typically in good health because there is little incidence of prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol or to HIV (compared to most other countries with significant intercountry adoption programs).

Because newborns are not available for adoption from China, the children can be observed during the first few months of their lives for potentially serious medical conditions or disabilities. These children with severe medical conditions are available for adoption through special needs adoption programs.

Adopting a child from China through a non-special needs program does not ensure that your child will never have serious medical problems. Whenever you bring a child into your family - whether through birth or adoption - there is a risk that the child will have medical problems. In adoption - even an adoption from China - the possibility of receiving inadequate information about prior medical conditions is present.

Serious attachment problems in children adopted from China are rare compared to the incidence in orphans adopted from many other countries. Nevertheless, adopting a child when she is young - even a toddler - does not guarantee the child will be free from attachment struggles.

When will a child be assigned to me?

It takes about 3 to 4 months (but sometimes longer) to complete a home study and receive approval from Citizenship and Immigration Services to adopt from China. Then it can take another month before your dossier is sent to the China Center of Adoption Affairs.

The most recent assignments came to families who had been waiting about 24 months or longer from the time that their paperwork was sent to China. (The wait time is increasing on a weekly basis. For current trends, look at Ralph Stirling’s China Adoption Referral and Age Graphs.) This assignment (often called a referral) will include a picture and a medical/developmental report on the child. Most families travel about a month and a half to two months after the referral comes.

You may see different time estimates at different agency Web sites. Be aware that no agency can influence how fast you’ll wait from the time your paperwork arrives in China to the time you get a referral. However, Carolina Hope will work as quickly as possible to process your paperwork before it goes to China.

When do I travel to China for the adoption?

Once your accept your referral, your acceptance is sent back to the China Center of Adoption Affairs. The CCAA then waits until it receives all the necessary paperwork from the province of the orphanage. Once all the paperwork is in place, a document is issued granting you permission to travel to China for the adoption. You usually travel about one and a half to two months after you receive a referral.

You will travel with a group of other families adopting from China. Carolina Hope’s China adoption facilitator tries to keep travel groups small. Typically, a group is 12 to 16 families. Groups of more than 20 families are split into separate groups. Being in a smaller travel group helps to assure personal attention and efficient meetings with authorities in China.

When you arrive in China, an English-speaking representative will meet you. Your child is brought to your hotel in the provincial capital city. You are accompanied by your English-speaking adoption-experienced guide at all times for meetings with Chinese officials and orphanage representatives. If permitted by the government, you may visit the orphanage where your child was receiving care.

Only one parent is required to travel for the adoption in China, and your stay is about 10 days.

The CDC’s Travelers’ Health Website contains a wealth of information on health issues pertaining to international travel, including information on destination countries, recommendations regarding immunizations, and Travel Notices.

What are the fees for a China adoption?

The fee for the Chinese adoption program - including the China facilitator fee - is $7510. When in-China legal fees and the in-China orphanage donation are added in, the total fee comes to about $12,000. When you factor in fees paid to CIS, home study fees, and traveling expenses, you can expect to spend between $20,000 and $22,000 total. This amount is an estimate that includes all of your fees and all of your estimated expenses (assuming that two parents are traveling to China).

South Carolina residents are eligible to receive a one-time $1500 non-recurring cost (subsidy) from the state government, bringing total adoption expenses down to $17,500. A few other states also make this subsidy available to residents who adopt from overseas. Most American taxpayers are eligible for the $11,390 adoption tax credit, bringing your total expenditures down to about $6500. Here in South Carolina, state employees can receive up to $5000 to help with an adoption (and up to $10,000 for a special needs adoption).

In addition, your employer may offer adoption benefits. The Adoption-Friendly Workplace Web site has prepared an excellent list of companies that provide adoption benefits.

What is a China adoption dossier?

As you read about adoptions from China, you frequently encounter the term dossier. A dossier is simply a collection of documents that verify certain facts about your background. Each document is either certified (if issued by a government authority) or notarized (if prepared by you).

Once you gather your documents, Carolina Hope will send the documents to the proper state and Chinese authorities for authentication. This dossier service sets Carolina Hope apart from many other adoption agencies. (Many adoption agencies simply give families a list of mailing addresses along with instructions for acquiring authentications. Other agencies include authentication service in a separate pricing package.)

A dossier for China adoption consists of the following documents:

• Petition to Adopt (a letter from you to the CCAA stating your intention to adopt from China)
• Birth Certificates
• Marriage Certificate
• Certificates of Employment / Unemployment / Retirement
• Certificate of Financial Status
• Medical Examination Reports
• Local Police Clearances
• Home Study Report
• Form I-171H (your pre-approval for a China adoption from Citizenship and Immigration Services; this pre-approval is sometimes printed on the I-797C Notice of Action)
• Miscellaneous Photographs

When you begin the adoption process, Carolina Hope will provide you with complete instructions for gathering dossier documents.

What is the process for a China adoption?

• Complete home study and I-600A Form and receive Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) approval.
• Gather dossier documents for certification and authentication. (Carolina Hope sends off for your authentications.)
• Your dossier is sent to the China Center of Adoption Affairs.
• You will wait to receive a referral; it is then another 6-8 weeks before you travel.
• Travel to China to attend your child’s adoption in the orphanage province.
• Travel to the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China, to receive your child’s visa.
• Bring your child home from China!

Where can I learn more about adoption from China?

Adoptive father Brian Stuy has written some fascinating (and controversial) reflections on his research into China adoptions. These articles can be found at his Research-China.org Blog. (Understand that Mr. Stuy is not an adoption professional, and the views expressed are based on his personal research. Mr. Stuy did not adopt through Carolina Hope.)

In 2004, National Geographic Ultimate Explorer aired a program on adoption from China, called China’s Lost Girls. Clicking on the link will take you to the DVD for sale at Amazon.com.

Are the children pictured on this page available for adoption?

Carolina Hope’s informational materials use photographs obtained from professional photographers and adoptive families. Apart from children pictured on a photolisting page, no children whose photos appear on this website are available for adoption.

Can I get more information from Carolina Hope?

If you would like print materials about any of Carolina Hope’s adoption programs, you can send us a request using our online form. We would also be happy for you to call or email with questions. (Our phone number and email address are available at our Contact page.)