[SAVeronika]

I wondered if anyone knew if private international adoption was possible. We are looking to adopt from China, but the fees are astronomical! Would it be cheaper to adopt privately and how would one do it?

[momraine]

The short answer is you can't. Private adoptions in many countries (including China) by foreigners are not legal.

[SAVeronika]

I was just wondering if it could be an option to consider and obviously it can't. Thanks.

[sak9645]

Each country has its own rules about private adoption.

China, which is just about the cheapest country from which one can adopt, does NOT permit private adoption by foreigners under any circumstances. All prospective parents must work through a licensed, nonprofit agency in their home country, which has been accredited by the Chinese government. No one can adopt independently or through a lawyer or facilitator. China passed this law in 1992 to curb widespread corruption. By all accounts, this law has helped China to maintain one of the cleanest adoption systems in the world, with no bribery or baby-buying.

Ethiopia, rapidly becoming a very popular country for Americans adopting children, also does not permit private adoption by foreigners. Another low-cost country, Ethiopia requires Americans to use one of the seven licensed, nonprofit American agencies that it has accredited. If you attempt to adopt independently or through a lawyer or facilitator, you won't be able to complete an adoption; and if, somehow, you manage to acquire a child illegally, the U.S. government will not issue a visa for the child to enter the U.S.

South Korea does not allow independent adoption by foreigners. If you are American, you must use a licensed, nonprofit agency that has a contract with the Korean government to place children with families in your state. The only exception is that you can work with an agency in another state for certain special needs adoptions.

Russia blows hot and cold about independent adoption. Russia is always "on the cusp" of banning it completely. However, it still seems to be allowed in a few regions of the country. However, I must tell you that adoption from Russia is not for the faint of heart, even if you work with an experienced agency. For an independent, it can be extremely difficult. And Russian adoption is extremely expensive, no matter how you do it, because of factors like the two-trip requirement.

Guatemala allows you to adopt without a U.S. agency or facilitator. However, you MUST use a Guatemalan attorney to finalize the adoption, and the Guatemalan attorneys are the main source of the high fees for adoption from this country.

Go to the website of the U.S. State Department, which summarizes each country's adoption requirements. You may find a country that allows independent adoption and that attracts you.

However, do be very careful in trying to adopt independently. Remember that you will need to comply with both the foreign country's adoption laws (which may be complex) and with U.S. immigration laws. Also, remember that for every American who has saved money by adopting independently from a foreign country, there are probably two Americans who have lost a lot of money -- and who have undergone emotional trauma -- by trying to adopt in this way. The risks are high.

Sharon

[SAVeronika]

Sharon,
Thanks for the info. It does seem like working through an agency is much safer than going independant. It would be absolutely devastating going through the whole process just to loose all the money and not get a baby, just to try and safe a couple of dollars. Thanks again.
Veronika

[Shawn_in_Korea]

I would like to say that you can do private adoption in some countries, contrary to what you may be told. The only concern is, that you have to reside in that country at the time of adoption. I live in South Korea right now and did a private adoption to get my son, and know several people from the local army base whom have done the same thing. They allow you to do private adoption, if you live here. I have heard the same about Japan and Taiwan. So, if you are willing and able to do it, travel for a while. The down side is, that with many private adoptions you must live outside of America with your new child for 2 years to get a visa by American law. You can't allways beleive what the agencies and the websites tell you, I had to do a lot of research to find out for myself. Goodluck!

[SAVeronika]

Just shows you. I live in South Africa, so I'll have to find out what the law says about how long you have to live abroad and so on.

[momraine]

There is imformation on the State department website.
http://travel.state.gov/family/adopt...untry_443.html
It looks like you might be able to adopt a child there, if you are planning to stay for five years. However, you still need to use an agency. There may be other countries that do allow, private adoptions, but because of the Haugue thing, most are not. China for sure does not. There are some places where you can do independant adoptions where you only need to hire a facilitator. Russia may or may not allow it, I think they are doing away with it, Ukraine is just now starting back up and I don't know thier new rules. Poland you can, but it helps if you speak Polish. There are probably others. If you go to the website I gave you, you can read about different countries requirements.

[Umaasang_mom]

What about the Philippines? Could we do independent /private adoption ?

[teranga]

Not that you should choose a country solely for the cost, but Ethiopia is quite a bit less expensive than many countries. Our total cost, for everyone except airfare (we flew free) --so this means our homestudy, all agency costs, all Ethiopia costs, both directly related to adoption and indirectly (food while there, lodging, etc) was under $12,000. Had we had our child escorted (an option from Ethiopia) it would have been a bit cheaper (though not much as we didn't pay airfare).

Again, I'm not suggesting you choose a country only b/c of cost--obviously there are many things to think through when choosing a country, but if you are open to Ethiopia, it is quite inexpensive (depending on the agency. Feel free to PM more). Additionally, the whole process took just under 6 months, although that was 1.5 years ago. I hear it is longer now as popularity of the program has apparently grown since Angelina Jolie adopted from Ethiopia.

Teranga

[danielakhan]

i live in canada and my husband is pakistani, his sister is a gynocologist in pakistan and gets alot of babies who will be put up for adoption. is there anyway for us to be able to do a private adoption or do we have to go throught an agency.thanx