China Adoption Program

Carolina Hope offers two China adoption programs: one for waiting orphans (identified as having special needs) the other for standard adoptions (children without an identified special need). Each program is outlined below the general overview and criteria for prospective adoptive parents: first the waiting child program, then the standard program. Although costs are approximately the same, the waiting child program has a significantly shorter wait.

China Adoption Overview

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 - comparable to other international adoption programs. Only one parent need travel to China, and the trip lasts for about 12-14 days.

The adoption process is completed through a partnership program with Small World Adoptions, an agency directly accredited by the China Center of Adoption Affairs. Our China clients are dual clients of Small World and Carolina Hope, but all client-agency contact is with Carolina Hope. The dossier is submitted under Small World’s letterhead. (In Hague terms, Carolina Hope is the “Supervised Service Provider,” and Small World is the “Primary Service Provider.”)

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. In 2007, 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 apply to all families, whether they are adopting through the standard program or the special needs program.)

• Married heterosexual 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 45, the couple will receive preference from the CCAA for receiving the youngest of the children available for adoption. Parents between 45 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.

Waiting Child Adoptions (Special Needs)

China has a well-established program for helping children with special needs find a home through adoption. China maintains a list of orphans with special needs that are available for adoption, and this list is distributed to all agencies with waiting child programs. When a family expresses an interest in adopting a particular child, a 48-hour hold is put on the child’s availability so that the family can make a decision based a complete referral, which will include medical information. The family must make a decision during that 48-hour period.

What kind of special needs do waiting children have?

Minor special needs include: cleft lip and palate; minor orthopedic needs; missing digits; Ventrical Septal Defect (hole in the heart), which is generally correctable with surgery; and Hepatitis B, both active and non-active. Major special needs include: hearing impaired, seeing impaired, limb disfiguration, mental retardation, and others. In most cases, we see vast improvements in children with special needs once they are receiving proper medical care and living in a healthy environment.

Are there additional requirements for the adoptive parents?

In addition to an approved application with the agency, the family must sign a Letter of Intent (LOI) to Adopt the Special Needs Child which they have chosen, in addition to writing a Care and Rehabilitation plan for their Waiting Child.

The family’s home study must also approve the family for the adoption of a “Special Needs” or older child from China.

Does the adoption of a waiting child cost more than a standard adoption?

The adoption fees and expenses are about the same, with these exceptions: Families adopting a waiting child may have to travel separately from an adoption group, in which case some travel-related expenses will be higher. In addition, the CCAA gives a small discount in their fees for a special needs child.

Do waiting child adoptions take as long as standard adoptions?

No. In a standard China adoption, families starting the process now can expect to wait 5 years or longer to complete their adoption (and the wait is expected to continue increasing). For a waiting child, families will typically get their Letter of Approval about 4-5 months after the CCAA receives their dossier and Letter of Intent, with a TA (Travel Approval) about 1 month after that.

What paperwork is required for a waiting child adoption?

The paperwork is the same as for any other adoption (see further down the page for a list of documents that are included in a dossier). As mentioned above, families also sign a Letter of Intent and write a Rehabilitation Plan for their waiting child. The LOI can be signed and sent to CCAA at any time in the process: before, at the same time as, or after the dossier is sent to CCAA.

How is a waiting child referred?

Waiting children can be pre-identified through the agency, and then a Letter of Intent is sent to the CCAA indicated the family’s desire to adopt a particular child.

If a Letter of Intent is sent prior to the sending of the dossier, then the CCAA will issue a “Pre-Approval” (PA) for the family to adopt the child. The Letter of Approval (LOA) will arrive about 4-5 months after the dossier has been logged in, and the TA will come about a month after that.

If the Letter of Intent accompanies the dossier or follows it, then the LOA will will come about 4-5 months after the dossier is logged in (as above).

Once the TA comes, when will I travel?

For the waiting child program, families typically travel about 2-3 weeks after receiving their Travel Approval.  Be aware that the agency will schedule the family’s visa appointment at the U.S. Consulate. If possible, families will be organized into travel groups. Whether a family is in a group or not, they will be accompanied by and English speaking guide.

How long will I be in China?

Usually the trip lasts 12-14 days, although it could potentially be a little quicker (depending on the process in the province from which a family is adopting).

Standard China Program (Non-Special Needs)

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 12 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 through the standard program (non-special needs) 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 5 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 35 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 may travel with a group of other families adopting from China, but referrals are so spread out now that most groups are small, and many families travel alone.

When you arrive in China, an English-speaking representative will meet you. Your child will be placed with you at the Civil Affairs Office or (in some cases) at the orphanage. You are accompanied by your English-speaking adoption-experienced guide at all times for meetings with Chinese officials and orphanage representatives. If placement took place at the Civil Affairs Office, you may visit the orphanage where your child was receiving care — if this is permitted by the local government officials.

Only one parent is required to travel for the adoption in China, and your stay is about 12-14 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 the China adoption program?

The fees and expenses are spelled out in the individual adoption program booklets, which can be requested using our Information Request Form.

South Carolina residents are eligible to receive a one-time $1500 non-recurring cost (subsidy) from the state government. A few other states also make this subsidy available to residents who adopt from overseas. Most American taxpayers are eligible for the $12,150 adoption tax credit, bringing your total expenditures down further. 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-800a 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!

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.)