Adoptions by

Voice for International Development and Adoptions

VIDA - China

The Hague Adoption Convention enters into force with respect to the United States on April 1, 2008.  Effective April 1, 2008, intercountry adoptions between the United States and other Convention countries must comply with the Hague Adoption Convention.

The China foreign adoption program is well coordinated. It is a model foreign service program for the United States and many other countries. Families are referred infants, twins, toddlers and school age children, depending on the family’s eligibility. For example, twins can be a consideration, for a childless couple, based on family income. Children are in government orphanages.  Priority is always given by VIDA to families willing to consider older children, and children with special needs.

The government of Chins is attentive to each family’s profile and request.

Chinese Organizations Involved in the Adoption Process

Responsibility for the various procedures necessary to adopt a child in China is divided among the following Chinese government authorities:

The China Center For Adoption Affairs (CCAA)

The China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA), a service branch of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, is the central authority for adoptions in China. This is where your adoption papers are registered, reviewed, processed, and where referrals are made.

Department of Civil Affairs

China’s provincial and county Civil Affairs Bureaus are formally responsible for orphaned and abandoned children. The Civil Affairs Bureaus are governed by the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Civil Affairs Bureaus in each province and many counties operate public Children’s Welfare Institutes.

Children’s Welfare Institute

Children’s Welfare Institutes are administered by the Ministry of Civil Affairs through provincial Civil Affairs Bureaus. These are governmental operated homes for orphaned and abandoned children. Children can may be placed in the welfare institute if their parents have died or abandoned them. In cases of abandoned children, the authorities attempt to locate the children’s parents before allowing them to be adopted from the institutes. All the children are registered with a central authority.

Requirements

The China Center for Adoption Affairs (CCAA) has issued the following regulations for foreigners who wish to adopt children in China. These regulations become effective for all application received after May 1, 2007.

Adoption is limited to married couples, made up of a man and a woman, who fit the following criteria:

• They must have been married at least two years. If either person has previously divorced, the couple must have been married at least five years. No more than two divorces are allowed.
• Both partners must be between the ages of 30 and 50. Those couples who apply to adopt a special needs child must be between the ages of 30 and 55.
• Both partners must be physically and mentally fit, with none of the following conditions:

1. AIDS;
2. Mental disability;
3. Infectious disease that is actively contagious;
4. Blind in either eye;
5. Hearing loss in both ears or loss of language function (those adopting children with hearing or language function loss are exempted from this requirement);
6. Non-function or dysfunction of limbs or trunk caused by impairment, incomplete limbs, paralysis or deformation;
7. Severe facial deformation;
8. Severe diseases that require long-term treatment and that may affect life expectancy, including malignant tumors, lupus, nephrosis, epilepsy, etc;
9. Major organ transplant within ten years;
10. Schizophrenia;
11. Severe mental disorders requiring medication for more than two years, including depression, mania, or anxiety neurosis;
12. Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or more

At least one member of the couple must have stable employment. The total value of family assets must be at least $80,000. The family’s annual income equals at least $10,000 for each family member in the household (including the child to be adopted). Annual income excludes welfare, pensions, unemployment insurance, government subsidies and the like.

Both prospective parents must be high school graduates or have vocational training equivalent to a high school education.

The family must have fewer than five children under the age of 18, and the youngest is at least one year old (those adopting special needs children are exempted from this requirement.

Neither partner may have a significant criminal record, and both must have a history of honorable behavior and good moral character with no evidence of:

• Domestic violence, sexual abuse, abandonment or abuse of children;
• Use of narcotics or any potentially addictive medication prescribed for mental illness;
• Alcohol abuse, unless the individual can show she/he has been sober for at least ten years.

Note: Applications from persons with past criminal records will be considered on a case-by-case basis if the individual has fewer than three minor criminal convictions (none in the last ten years) and fewer than five minor traffic violations.

The prospective parents must demonstrate the ability to provide a warm family environment capable of meeting the needs of an orphaned child and providing for her/his development, and an understanding of the special risks (including potential diseases, developmental delays, and post-placement maladjustment) that could come with inter-country adoption.

The couple must provide an adoption application letter that makes clear the applicants’ willingness to allow post-placement follow-ups and provide post-placement reports as required.

Note: In each instance above where a specific age or time span is cited, it will be computed from the time that the CCAA officially logs the adoption application documents.

Time frame

At the present time, families are receiving referrals from 18 months to 3 years after their papers are successfully registered with CCAA. There are significantly shorter waiting times for special needs and older children.

Travel

Families are required to travel to China for approximately two to three weeks. In the case of couples, only one parent may consider traveling. This must be pre-approved, and a power of attorney is given to the parent that is traveling.

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Voice for International Development and Adoptions
354 Allen Street, Hudson NY 12534
518 828-4527   Fax 518 828-0688  vidaadopt@aol.com