[_123456]

hello,

im 18 years old and i do know im to young to adopt now.

for years now i have been extreamly interested in

adopting a child from africa.

sometime this year i would even like to go to school
for some kind of foreign affairs.

i do have a few questions and maybe possibley you can

tell me things that would be helpful to know.

• how old do i have to be
• the cost of adoption
• the wait?? or is there a wait?
• legal issues

and possibley any helpful information..

thank you in advanced.

[bluevalentine]

You must be at least 25. That is true of any international adoption as it is an INS rule. Cost varies. With agency fees, travel and government filing fees, its right around 15-20k right now. From what I've seen, from the time your dossier is done, its anywhere from 2-6 months for a referal. Not sure what sort of legal issues you may be concerned about.

Of course, all this could change at anytime, especially since you are at least 6 years away from being able to adopt.

I would take a look around agency websites that adopt in African countries.

[pookiebear]

The minimum age I have seen is 25, but be aware that some countries have age limits at 30, 35, and some where the parent can be 28. My husband will be 28 in July and me not till next year. We realized that we were not eligible for some programs because of our age, even though we are over 25. There are also min. income limits, imposed by the US govt and the coutries themselves. Some have health, religous, and heritage requirments. More than likely, you will have to be willing to travel (I am terrified at the thought of flying) so be aware of that. Some agencies will allow you to have your children escorted, sometimes that is not an option. I am very drawn to Africa and Haiti, because of the great need there. My husband and I are willing to consider a waiting child. By considering a waiting child you might get approval if you don't meet all the requirments for a program. I am NOT an expert, nor have I adopted yet. I have been in contact with several agencies, surfed the web and lurked and eventually joined this forum to get what little info I could. There are some great personal sites out there, so look around. I have heard that it is a paper chase up until you get a referral, but I am not speaking from personal experience.
Hope this helps,
Amanda

[ManyTimesBlessed]

Just a note here. You do not have to be 25 if you are married. A lot of agencies have that age as a requirement and there are some countries that have age requirements. However, to adopt according to U.S. law, you only have to be 21 if you are married, 25 if you are single.

If anyone has more questions about this I'd be happy to answer them. We've gone through it all and verified it with INS, etc.

Oh, and if you want to talk about Africa, feel free to PM me. We're adopting from Liberia and I can also point you to some resources for adopting from Africa in general.

Good luck! :-)