[brueck99]

I was just wondering if there was anyone out that that is under the age of 30 looking to adopt in a few years. My husband and I are both going to be 26 this year however we have decided to adopt from China when we turn 30. Does anyone know if there is a certain timeframe that paperwork has to be completed and etc? Anyone out there that is considering however under age requirement?

[jbzanie]

Alot of the paperwork is time sensitive. I think they recommend starting the paperchase about 6 months prior to turning 30 so that you can turn in your dossier when you turn 30.

I had to use the Houston Chinese Consulate and some of our documents could not be older than 6 months old.

[brueck99]

Thanks, I was afraid of that. In your experience though, is there anything that did not have to be postdated?

I checked out your blog site, wonderful! I will be checking in on it frequently to see new information that you have posted. Thanks.

[skingspan]

At this point you could probably get copies of your birth and marriage certificates and if you don't already have them your passports.

[Korrie Sue]

You can start working on the things you need for your homestudy. For example, you and your husband can both write your autobiographies.

[prechrswife]

Originally Posted by skingspan

At this point you could probably get copies of your birth and marriage certificates and if you don't already have them your passports.

I think there is even a time limit on birth and marriage from the dates they are issued. It has been awhile for us, though, and I've forgotten what that is. Right now is too early to even get these. The information doesn't change, so this policy really doesn't make much sense. It is what it is, though.

Passports are a great idea, though.

[jbzanie]

I think the date on the birth certificate and marriage license depends on the Consulate that you are required to send to.

For us, the Houston Consulate required these documents not be older than 6 months old. I think other Consulates have their own rules.

[HopefulMommy]

If either of you have had a minor run in with the law in your earlier youth you may want to look into having it expunged from your record.

There was someone on Rumor Queen's sight who stated her husband had a silly thing that happened when he was 18 and they were fagged in the "review room" for their first adoption.

In between their first and second they had his record expunged. But they said it did take a while to get the original police report and all the supporting documentation that stated the matter was closed.

Hope this helps.
Good luck on your process (when you finally get old like the rest of us hee hee)

Hugs,

[sak9645]

Getting a record expunged can be a waste of time. Many people have discovered that the arrest will still show up on the FBI clearance required for the I-600A, even if it doesn't show up on a local police clearance. And if the arrest was not mentioned in the homestudy report, and shows up on the FBI clearance, that CAN be cause for denial of 171-H approval.

Your best bet is, of course, not to commit any infractions of the law. But if you have even a minor offense on your record, by all means, disclose it to your social worker during the homestudy and get whatever documents he/she requires to show that you have satisfied any requirements the law imposed (paid a fine, went to alcohol awareness class, etc.) Also, be prepared to be asked to write a brief statement explaining the incident, which admits fault and expresses regret. (Don't consider a defense like, "Everyone was smoking marijuana back then", which implies that you do not feel that you did wrong.)

China has stated, in the past, that although it bans criminals from adopting, it is willing to consider an applicant who has committed a relatively minor crime if it was in the distant past, if it was never repeated, if it did not concern children or violence, if it was not part of a pattern of continuing substance abuse, if the applicant has shown genuine remorse over his/her action, and if the applicant has led an exemplary life since then.

While China has become more strict about criminal history, I believe that there is still hope for the individual who did something stupid -- like incurring a DUI -- in his/her teens or early 20s, and who has not had any other brush with the law for approximately ten years.

Sharon

[prechrswife]

Originally Posted by jbzanie

I think the date on the birth certificate and marriage license depends on the Consulate that you are required to send to.

For us, the Houston Consulate required these documents not be older than 6 months old. I think other Consulates have their own rules.

Ours went to Houston, too, so maybe that is the reason.